Andy Pettitte: Done, Or, A Hero?
On May 29th, we were told that Andy Pettitte had a bad back. I think it happened before that date. Check out these stats:
Pettitte’s first 7 starts of this season:
45.0 IP, 4.00 ERA, Opp BA/OBA/SLG of .272/.328/.416 (facing 190 batters)
Pettitte’s last 6 starts of this season:
34.6 IP, 5.19 ERA, Opp BA/OBA/SLG of .326/.405/.472 (facing 164 batters)
Something must have happened to Andy Pettitte (and his back?) either during or just prior to his start of May 18th. But, just like last season, rather than go on the disabled list, it seems that Pettitte is intent on taking a regular turn in the Yankees rotation.
Now, some may say that this is just Andy trying to make some money this season because he gets paid more for playing than sitting. But, I don’t see it that way. More so, Pettitte knows that Worm Killer Wang is in rough shape and that A.J. Burnett and Joba Chamberlain have not been giving the Yankees innings, consistently, in their starts. And, Andy is just trying to help the team.
So, it might be trendy to try and rip into Pettitte these days – based on his stats of late. But, at least he’s giving the Yankees five or six innings each time he takes the mound. And, that’s a lot more than you can say about most of the Yankees starters this year not named CC Sabathia.
The Yanks have Aceves & Hughes to step into the rotation. If need be, they can fashion a start from the bullpen.
If he’s hurt, there’s no reason for him to take the mound
Anything come out of Pettitte’s breathing problem yesterday? That kinda had me concerned a bit, especially combined with Damon’s eye problem.
5 or 6 lousy innings isn’t something that you should crow about. Aceves could be giving us the same lousy innings at a fraction of the salary.