Originally published May 11, 2012 at 8:37 PM | Page modified May 11, 2012 at 10:07 PM
Jesus Montero stars in movie, 'Escape from N.Y. Media'
Mariners catcher doesn't want to talk about trade with Yankees that brought him to Seattle
Seattle Times staff reporter
Next five
Saturday @N.Y. Yankees, 1:05 p.m., ROOT | Noesi (2-3, 6.30) vs. Hughes (2-4, 6.67)
Sunday @N.Y. Yankees, 10:05 a.m., ROOT | Millwood (0-4, 5.88) vs. Pettitte (0-0, 0.00)
Monday @Boston, 4:10 p.m., ROOT | Vargas (4-2, 2.79) vs. Lester (1-3, 4.29)
Tuesday @Boston, 1:05 p.m., ROOT | Beavan (1-3, 4.32) vs. Beckett (2-4, 5.97)
Wednesday @Cleveland, 4:05 p.m., ROOT | Hernandez (3-2, 2.29) vs. Jimenez (3-3, 5.18)
NEW YORK — Jesus Montero was taking a deliberately long pregame stroll in the corridors outside the main visitors' clubhouse area at Yankee Stadium on Friday.
It was Montero's first game back in New York since the Mariners acquired him in a trade in January. That trade is being scrutinized by New York fans after the player acquired by the Yankees in return — Michael Piñeda — was lost for the season due to a spring-training shoulder injury.
And that's one reason Montero was strolling the corridors and not sitting by his actual clubhouse locker, where the New York media throng was circling.
"Oh yeah, I'm just walking around here," he said, peeking briefly through an open door to the main clubhouse. "Everybody is in there, so I'm just walking around as much as I can, trying to stay out of there."
Montero later gave Yankees fans more to gnash their teeth about, clubbing a go-ahead solo home run to right field in the sixth inning off Hiroki Kuroda in a game Seattle eventually lost 6-2.
Rotation switch
Kevin Millwood now is scheduled to start Sunday in place of Blake Beavan. The Mariners opted to push Beavan back a couple of days to Tuesday because of the line drive he took off his elbow last Monday.
Beavan went out and threw for 10 minutes before the game Friday, and the Mariners felt his elbow was good enough to pitch with only the two extra days' break.
Jason Vargas will move up his start from Tuesday to opening the series in Boston on Monday.
NOTE
• Justin Smoak had stumbled through a 2-for-20 homestand, then popped out with two on and nobody out to begin the game Friday. But Smoak later followed with three singles. He reiterated that his hamstring is no longer bothering him and that his offensive struggles are merely a matter of getting his swing in order.
For the record: W-L: 15-19 W PCT: .441
Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com.
On Twitter @gbakermariners
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