Pettitte Goes 4-0 But Leaves Start Early With Elbow Pain

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman thinks Andy Pettitte will not make his next start due to mild inflammation in his left elbow.

"My feeling is Andy will at least miss a start, just because," Cashman told ESPNNewYork.com's Ian O'Connor prior to receiving the test results.

After going just five innings in his start Wednesday and feeling stiffness in his arm, Pettitte underwent an MRI that determined the injury.

"Anytime you are talking about the area around the elbow, you start to worry a little bit," Pettitte said through a team spokesman.

Pettitte (4-0) first felt the stiffness in his previous start against the White Sox. The Yankees limited his throwing between starts to try to alleviate the problem but were unsuccessful. Manager Joe Girardi could not pinpoint exactly where the stiffness occurred, but he said it has moved around on Pettitte's arm.

As Pettitte threw his 77 pitches during the Yankees' 7-5 victory over the Orioles, Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland asked him after every inning to give them updates on the arm. Finally, they coaxed him into admitting he had the stiffness in the fifth.

"We weren't going to push it," Eiland said.

Pettitte, 37, has put a lot of miles on his left arm. In his career, Pettitte has pitched 2,965 1/3 innings, which is second most to Tim Wakefield among active pitchers. On top of this, though, Pettitte has thrown what amounts to more than an extra season in the playoffs. His 249 postseason innings have worn on his elbow.

In his career, Pettitte's been on the disabled list five times because of elbow injuries. He also went on the DL in 2004 because of a strained left forearm. In 2008, he had back spasms.

Girardi said Pettitte's age and wear is a factor.

"He is not 25," Girardi said. "There are a lot of innings."

The Yankees are already dealing with the ineffectiveness of Javier Vazquez, whom they are skipping on Friday in Boston and instead are having him start on Monday in Detroit. If Pettitte does not make his next start, which is scheduled for next Tuesday in Detroit, then Alfredo Aceves and Sergio Mitre are the most likely candidates on the roster to replace Pettitte.

I really don't think this is as big a deal as everyone is making it out to be.

So Rivera has a stiff side, Posada has a mild strain in his calf and Pettitte's elbow is bothering him. Wouldn't you be a little curious if these old veterans weren't hurting a little bit. They've all been in the league since 1995. That's 15 years by my math, which is never that good, but that's besides the point, and there is a lot of wear and tear on these guys.

Posada will be back in a few days, there really is nothing wrong with him; however, I'd say it's about time he became the permanent DH because he cannot catch. He was never good defensively and he never will be.

Rivera said it today that because it's the beginning of May he isn't playing. He is fine too.

And Pettitte will probably miss one start and come back, not a big deal as well. Let's cut these guys some slack, what do ya say?