Yanks to Skip Struggling Vazquez's Next Turn in Boston

Beleaguered right-hander Javier Vazquez will miss his scheduled start on Friday night at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. Vazquez will be held back until Monday, when he'll face the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

"We're going to give him a couple of days to catch his breath," manager Joe Girardi said on Monday afternoon.

Girardi said Vazquez's recent struggles and the supercharged atmosphere of Yankees-Red Sox games factored into his decision. Vazquez (1-3, 9.78) wanted to pitch in his regular turn, Girardi said, but the manager decided on a delay.

Phil Hughes (3-0, 1.44) will make the start on Friday, followed by C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

Vazquez's first stint in New York ended miserably, when he relieved Kevin Brown trailing 2-0 in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS and allowed a first-pitch grand slam to Johnny Damon, then gave up a two-run homer to Damon in the fourth.

Vazquez was dealt to Arizona after the season in the trade that brought Randy Johnson to New York. Following a year with the Diamondbacks, he spent three seasons with the Chicago White Sox, where manager Ozzie Guillen said he hadn't been a big-game pitcher.

"I don't really want to get into, you know, Ozzie said this or whatever," Vazquez said after the incident.
The 33-year-old, who was second in NL Cy Young voting in 2009, will make $11.5 million in 2010 and can become a free agent at the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Alex Rodriguez returned to the Yankees' lineup on Tuesday.

Rodriguez rested during New York's 12-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. He says he felt some cramping in his right leg Saturday but is fine now.

This is fantastic news because, as a fan, I was really getting fed up with Vazquez getting rocked real hard in all but one of his starts. His location is terrible, his velocity is down and his pitches are very flat.

I don't know what it is, but he better fix it fast otherwise he will get run out of town once again.

Curt Schilling opened his big mouth again last week about how Vazquez cannot pitch for the Yankees and be successful, and I really hate to say this, but I think he is right. I never like siding with Curt Schilling because all he ever does is run his mouth about things that don't concern him in the slightest bit, but this time I'll commend him on his comments.

Vazquez has proved time and time again that he is not a big game pitcher -- just ask Ozzie Guillen what he thinks about that statement -- and he is proving it again in his second go-around in the Bronx.

I feel for the guy though because he is a fantastic talent and a great person too. I hope he can figure things out, maybe take a page out of the A.J. Burnett book and start performing like he is capable of.

Right now the fans see the Vazquez of October 2004, and why not? That's exactly who has been showing up night-in and night-out when he toes the rubber.