ST. PETERSBURG – Dwight Gooden has made one start against teenagers in the Gulf Coast League but has worked his way into the Yankees’ thought process this weekend.
Gooden was held out of a Gulf Coast start Thursday night in the event he was needed last night against the Devil Rays, the team that released him earlier this year. And with Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez and Roger Clemens returning from injuries today and tomorrow, respectively, there was some concern among the Yankees’ brass.
“Probably protection for this weekend,” GM Brian Cashman said when asked why Gooden was scratched. “The way our pitching has gone, everybody is in the mix.”
Of Gooden, who is working on a minor-league contract, isn’t needed this weekend, he will report to Columbus (Triple-A) to continue his battle to get back to the big leagues.
“He is throwing good, he working on keeping everything down and throwing a good slider,” pitching guru Billy Connors said. Connors has been overseeing Gooden’s workouts at the minor-league complex.
Torre would like to see Gooden get more innings in order for him to feel comfortable with the changes he has made in his delivery and with his latest pitch, a forkball that has screwball action on it.
“He was on hold,” Torre said of Gooden, who remains a possibility to start one of the two games against the Mets a week from today. “I don’t feel as comfortable because he hasn’t pitched in as many games as you need to feel comfortable with. I would like to see it longer. He is going to have to pitch for his delivery to be natural.”
When Steinbrenner signed Gooden to a minor-league deal June 10, many scoffed. Even Yankee brass was doubtful that the veteran righthander had anything left after being traded from Houston to the pitching-poor Devil Rays, who released him.
But the forkball has given Gooden hope that he can make it back to the Yankees. And it has impressed Roger Clemens, who worked out with Gooden the past two weeks while on the DL.
“He looks good,” Clemens said of Gooden. “He is not that far away.”