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March 24, 2008

From Pettitte's Back To My Stomach

Via Peter Abraham -

"I was really feeling pretty good last night, and feeling good about it, what today was going to bring," Pettitte told reporters at Legends Field.

"Then I woke up this morning and it was kind of tight on me again.

"I've already lost two days. I don't want to set it back any. I'm just going to wait until tomorrow and hopefully it's a lot better and I can feel comfortable playing catch."

But Pettitte could be bumped back a few days.

"We've got options," he said. "It's just the first start of the season. I don't want to do that, but I want to make sure that I'm healthy and not go into the season with a bad back."

I’m starting to get a knot in my stomach over this one. A healthy Andy Pettitte and Worm Killer Wang are key to the Yankees success this season – perhaps more so than anything else. Mussina, Kennedy and Hughes are not going to give you 200 innings each this season – so, Pettitte and Wang must be able to give you 200+ IP each this year. Without Pettitte or Wang making more than 30 starts each, then you have to start calling on guys like Karstens, Rasner and Igawa. And, that’s not good.

Posted by Steve Lombardi at March 24, 2008 08:49 AM

Comments

Finally, something to actually worry about!

Although, it's a far cry from A-Rod's fielding preparation, whether Jorge might suffer a .070 dip in offensive production or whether the Yankees will ever recapture the Mike Stanton/Jeff Nelson glory days.

Still, this IS something to worry about, in the SHORT term, if it doesn't clear up quickly. It could mean relying on a AAA starter to make one or two starts at the beginning of the season.

WAY too early to be worrying about whether Pettitte makes 30 starts this year, though.

Posted by: yankees76 [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 24, 2008 11:28 AM