ROCHESTER — Andy Pettitte’s numbers hardly look like ones that would help the Yankees, but the 39-year-old lefty believes any more time spent in the minors would likely be counterproductive.
“For me it is,” Pettitte said after giving up five runs, three earned, in five innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a 7-5 loss to Pawtucket at Frontier Field, where the Yankees’ top farm team is playing the majority of its home games this season.
“It’s inevitable, I believe, to get me up there and to get in the mix,” Pettitte said of his return to The Bronx, which could come as soon as this week. “You try to get locked in and I’m trying as hard as I can to get focused, but it’s difficult when you’re signing baseballs.”
And while he allowed four hits to the first four batters he faced, eight hits and the lack of command of his breaking pitches, Pettitte is ready to move on.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman didn’t make the trip and said no decision had been made about where Pettitte’s next start would take place.
Minor league pitching coach Nardi Contreras wouldn’t reveal much after watching Pettitte, but he was confident Pettitte would be in the majors before long.
“I’m sure sooner rather than later,” Contreras said. “I’ll let Mr. Cashman know what I saw . . . I’m sure [Pettitte] isn’t happy with his command, but he’s just getting into shape. It will take a little time and it might be the next start in New York. I don’t know.”
And Pettitte insisted again that the Yankees’ pitching problems have not impacted his schedule.
“There’s no reason to try to rush because this is difficult, what I’m trying to do,” said Pettitte, who hit 89 mph, but was consistently in the mid-80s. “I think everybody knows what to expect from me. I don’t go out there and throw complete-game shutouts. I’m going to battle and hopefully be able to give us six, seven, eight innings.”
The Yankees would no doubt take that.
He threw 28 pitches in a rough first inning before eventually retiring the last six batters he saw and was able to take some positives from the slow start.
“It’s good to get into trouble and to have to work your way out of trouble,” said Pettitte, who struck out five and walked two in his 92-pitch outing in which he was hit hard at times and not helped by some shoddy defense. “To just go through what you’ve got to go through to get game-ready.”
“I think he’s pretty close,” said Francisco Cervelli, who caught Pettitte yesterday. “A couple of years ago he was outstanding. He needs a little more speed, and I think that’s gonna come with time.”
Pettitte’s most likely victim in the rotation is David Phelps after Phil Hughes came up with his best start of the season yesterday.
Contreras went through the members of the rotation, leaving only Phelps’ name out: “No. 5 . . . we’ll see.”
Wherever he pitches next, Pettitte hopes to have better control and isn’t concerned about the radar gun.
“For me, it’s not about the velocity,” Pettitte said. “I’m watching a lot of my videos . . . from World Series games where I’m throwing 86-87 [mph]. My velocity is where it needs to be.”
Now Pettitte just hopes to be where he wants to be.
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Pettitte wouldn’t talk about his testimony last week in Roger Clemens’ federal perjury case, saying only: “It’s great that’s behind me.”
As for losing Mariano Rivera for the season, Pettitte said: “It’s bad. You’re not gonna be able replace him. Thank goodness we have a lot of depth out in that bullpen.”
Pettitte was stunned by how the injury happened.
“I spent a lot of years out in that outfield shagging fly balls with [Rivera],” Pettitte said. “It’s a freak accident.”