Yankees look to change quick three-game stretch in July

The New York Yankees are hoping to resolve a scheduling issue that could have them playing three games, including travel, in a span of a little more than 24 hours.

The Yankees-Orioles game scheduled for Sunday in Baltimore was postponed by rain, and the second game of that series was washed out.

The teams announced Sunday that one of those games would be made up as part of a doubleheader starting at 4:05 p.m. ET on Monday, July 9, in Baltimore.

But the Yankees are scheduled to play the night before in Toronto, with an 8 p.m. ET start for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.

Commissioner Rob Manfred, speaking at the baseball draft in Secaucus, New Jersey, sounded open to a change that would address the Yankees' concerns.

"It's resolvable in a number of ways. We've got a little time,'' Manfred said. "Just in terms of the timing, it does create a difficult situation, and we're hopeful that we can find a way to work through that.''

Before the start of spring training, matchups for Sunday Night Baseball games are set through May. The rest of the schedule is determined during the season, but teams are notified before spring training of the four games that are under consideration for each week.

The 2018 MLB Media Guide lists Cardinals-Giants, Dodgers-Angels, Red Sox-Royals and Yankees-Blue Jays as the four options for July 8.

The Yankees reportedly were unaware that they had been chosen as the Sunday night game before they agreed to the July 9 doubleheader.

David Robertson, the Yankees player representative, told Newsday on Monday, "We'd like to see it get changed without any big ruckus getting started."

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that such a schedule is "just not good for the product on the field, for the safety of our guys to be having to go night game then fly into a doubleheader. That's ridiculous, and anyone that would argue with that is not being truthful."

An ESPN spokesperson said the network could not comment while discussions about resolving the matter continue with Major League Baseball and the Yankees.

The Yankees have had seven games postponed or suspended by rain this season and played a day-night doubleheader on Monday in Detroit to make up one of those games.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.