TORONTO – Allen Watson’s injured right oblique muscle has the lefty reliever headed for the DL, which will clear a spot for Andy Pettitte’s return from the shelf.
Watson injured his back on the right side Friday when he slipped delivering a pitch to Carlos Delgado and further aggravated the situation when he worked an inning Saturday.
Pettitte threw batting practice yesterday to Clay Bellinger, Wilson Delgado, Lance Johnson and Jim Leyritz and didn’t feel any discomfort in his left side, where he has been nursing a strained lateral muscle.
“He will pitch Wednesday,” said Joe Torre, who originally had Pettitte ready to go Tuesday but decided one more day of rest can’t hurt. “Unless, of course, he comes in [today] and says he feels uncomfortable.”
Ramiro Mendoza will start tomorrow night against the Twins at Yankee Stadium.
While Watson didn’t go for tests, he arrived at SkyDome yesterday morning at 8 o’clock for treatments and spent the game in the trainer’s room.
“I slipped again [Saturday] and aggravated it more,” said Watson, whose injury leaves Torre with just Mike Stanton from the left side in the bullpen. “I tried to get a little extra on a pitch and slipped. They told me they want me healthy later in the year. They want to make sure.”
Watson overcame a groin injury at the beginning of spring training and was ready for the start of the season despite missing two weeks of camp with an inflamed bursa sac in the left shoulder.
“This comes at a bad time because I am throwing good,” said Watson, who has appeared in six games. “Right now it’s real sore and I can tell there is some swelling back there.”
As for Pettitte, he threw six minutes of BP, used all his pitches and was pleased with the results, which is a shock since he is never satisfied.
“I had good command; I know it’s not a game, but it felt good command-wise,” said Pettitte, who has been out since April 7.
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Chuck Knoblauch left the game for a pinch-hitter (Bellinger) in the fifth inning due to soreness in the back of his left hand that is serious enough to send the leadoff hitter and second baseman for an MRI today.
“I don’t know what I did. I felt something when I was warming up for my first at-bat and I couldn’t swing the weighted bat,” said Knoblauch, who went 1-for-3. “It can’t be anything bone-related because I didn’t do anything.”
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Scott Brosius went 1-for-3 in his second game for Tampa (Single-A) yesterday and played six innings. He will play today and if there is nothing wrong with his rib cage, he could rejoin the Yankees Tuesday. When Brosius (who has been sidelined since the second game of the season) is activated, Alfonso Soriano will return to Columbus (Triple-A).
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RHP Roger Clemens (1-1; 2.88 ERA) starts today against Minnesota LHP Eric Milton (1-0; 6.04) at Yankee Stadium. It’s Clemens’ first outing since being forced to leave last Wednesday’s game against the Rangers with a stiff back. RHP Ramiro Mendoza (2-1; 5.02) draws RHP Sean Bergman (1-0; 7.45) tomorrow night and LHP Pettitte (0-1; 9.00) faces RHP Joe Mays (0-2; 9.30) Wednesday afternoon.