YANKEE NOTES
El Duque arrived at Yankee Stadium yesterday at 2 o’clock and reported to the medical staff that Tuesday’s 12-minute bullpen session didn’t affect his right elbow in the least.
However, beyond that Joe Torre nor the pitcher could pinpoint when the veteran right-hander would be able to start again.
“He seemed to be fine,” Torre said of El Duque, who hasn’t pitched since a week ago today when he left a game in Toronto after three innings with elbow discomfort.
Before the bullpen session Torre said he would use El Duque either tomorrow or Saturday against the A’s. Yesterday, Torre said it would depend on if El Duque wanted another throw day. If that’s the case, El Duque would work in the bullpen today and start Saturday. If El Duque didn’t feel he needed another BP stint, he would start tomorrow night.
“I haven’t talked to Joe yet so I can’t comment on that,” El Duque said prior to last night’s game against the Mariners.
El Duque, who was examined by noted orthopedic surgeon James Andrews Monday in Birmingham, is 0-2 with an inflated 5.84 ERA in three starts.
“We are leaving it up to him,” Torre said. “He is in that body and the way it’s set up, it won’t disrupt anything.”
Ted Lilly will pitch on the day El Duque doesn’t.
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Despite admitting Michael Coleman’s bothersome right hamstring wasn’t 100 percent, Torre put the right-handed hitting outfielder in the lineup last night against Mariners’ lefty John Halama in place of the slumping David Justice.
“He is just fighting himself right now,” Torre said of Justice, who is in a 3-for-15 (.200) slide. “He is experimenting at the plate. I am giving him a day. He will be back in there (tonight against lefty Jamie Moyer).”
Justice, who is batting .275 with four homers and 13 RBIs, started every one of the Yankees’ first 20 games. Last night may have been a good night to sit Justice on one front but not on another. He was hitting .222 (4-for-18) against lefties but he is a lifetime .444 (4-for-9) with two homers and three RBIs against Halama.
Justice is hitting .368 (7-for-19) against Moyer.