We learned last night–from the (awful) My9 broadcast and a bunch of beat writers on Twitter–that Andy Pettitte has a “small, persistent strain of the left groin” and that it’ll set him back from throwing on a mound again for about a week.
This got me wondering, as it has any time a Yankee starter has missed a scheduled start this season: is the Yankees’ depth as good as we think it is?
Of course, my immediate thought goes to Joba Chamberlain and the fact that he’s in the bullpen. He has, as expected, pitched pretty well there. Still, I can’t help but think if the Yankees would’ve been in better shape if he stayed a starter and was used to fill in for Pettitte instead of Sergio Mitre and Dustin Moseley. I can’t argue with the results, though, as Moseley’s been okay and Joba’s been good, too.
With the recent developments concerning Javier Vazquez and his supposedly dead arm, though, we could see someone else get a start. If the Yankees don’t want to make a roster move, it’ll be Mitre or Chad Gaudin. I’m not a huge fan of either one of those guys at this point. They could roll with Ivan Nova, which I wouldn’t mind considering that he’s done well in AAA. Unfortunately, Zach McAllister hasn’t really done well at AAA so that option is eliminated.
Maybe, though, I’m getting ahead of myself here. It’s always possible that Vazquez pitches more effectively and that A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes remember who they are and pitch well, too. Regardless of that, I think we all want Andy back as soon as possible.
Another possibility is that the Yankees depth is better than it seems. After all, I’m not all that familiar with the pitching depth of the other teams. Could they have guys fill in as well or better than Moseley? Maybe? Maybe not?
As I mentioned above, the best remedy for the Yankees is for the non-injured pitchers to do well and pitch deep into games. The more they can do that, the better. The more games they can win, the less pressure lands on the shoulders of Dustin Moseley.
Get well soon, Andy!
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3 Responses to On Pettitte's Injury
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TIQ IQ
Even with Pettitte’s injury, the Yankees seem to have had spectacular luck with the health of its starting rotation. If we ended the year with just Pettitte landing on the DL, that would be a coup for the Yankees.
Why won’t my magical healing rays work :( :( :(
It’s frustrating to me when the Yankees refuse to have confidence in their depth. We have Nova down in AAA. Javy’s issues are public knowlege and perfectly understandable. Let Nova take the ball for two starts. Have some faith in the kids to carry a light load for the team. Maybe some will prove capable of more than the bullpen or the bench.