Andy Pettitte’s rocky spring hit another pothole yesterday when he was scratched from a start for the second time in 10 days. And while the veteran pitcher and club brass sincerely believe back spasms won’t keep him from hurling in the second game of the season, anytime a front-line pitcher who is 36 in June misses two starts in such a short span there should be concern.
And before the “Start Joba” supporters start salivating over the possibility of Joba Chamberlain replacing Pettitte, that isn’t likely to happen. First, the Yankees don’t believe Pettitte is hurt that badly. Beyond that they don’t want to shuttle Chamberlain from bullpen to rotation to bullpen.
Scheduled to work in a minor league game yesterday, Pettitte never got into uniform due to back spasms that surfaced Thursday while he was driving home from Legends Field.
“It was getting tighter and tighter so I called Joe [Girardi] and told him my back was giving me trouble,” Pettitte said. “[Friday] I got treatment for four or five hours and they told me to go home. It feels a lot better.”
Pettitte is slated to start Thursday against the Pirates at Legends Field and believes even though he will have only 12 to 13 innings, he should be ready for his first turn in the rotation against the Blue Jays on April 2 at Yankee Stadium.
A cranky left elbow kept Pettitte from starting on March 12. He worked five days later and reported no problems.
This is the latest pothole in Pettitte’s spring. He arrived late due to his involvement in Congress’s monitoring of the Roger Clemens-Brian McNamee feud. Pettitte admitted his legs weren’t where they should have been but he quickly caught up. Then the elbow flared. Now the back, which was invaded by spasms last spring, is barking. And with Clemens possibly facing a perjury charge, Pettitte could be asked to testify. That could interrupt his season.
“Last year I was down three to four days and couldn’t go outside,” said Pettitte, who is 1-0 with a 5.63 ERA in three starts. In eight innings he has given up seven hits. “This feels better. I could play catch.”
According to Pettitte, a positive sign was the spasms moving south.
“It was in the upper back when everything locked up and today it was the lower back,” Pettitte said.
Ideally, a starting pitcher would like to get 18 spring innings. With Pettitte at eight and probably not going more than four or five Thursday, he will fall short of what is usually recommended.
“I did it last year by being short,” Pettitte said.
Pettitte said his first start of the season isn’t in jeopardy.
“I am going to pitch unless it lingers another week,” Pettitte said. “I still plan on making my first start.”
Should Pettitte not be ready, don’t expect the Yankees to shift Chamberlain from set up man to starter even though Chamberlain is sufficiently stretched out since he worked as a starter until this week when it was officially announced he was opening the season in the bullpen.
“He is a legitimate candidate but you don’t want them to go back and forth,” Girardi said. “If you start them then you can’t pitch them [in relief] for four or five days.”