SEATTLE – A 6 1/2-game lead over the Red Sox certainly has its rewards.
Not wanting to take any chances with Mike Mussina’s cranky right groin, the Yankees placed the veteran right-hander on the 15-day disabled list yesterday. The move is retroactive to Monday, the day after he left a game in Boston.
Initially, it was believed Mussina would skip one start and return to the rotation next week.
However, late yesterday afternoon, the Yankees placed Mussina on the shelf and recalled right-hander reliever Brian Bruney from Triple-A Columbus to fortify a fatigued bullpen.
“I am not surprised. I wasn’t going to pitch until a week from Saturday. so this is just three days more,” said Mussina, who is eligible to come off the DL Sept. 4.
“Simply put, we need a little pitching. Some [relievers] are getting used up. In the end it’s three-days difference. We want to make sure it doesn’t come back to hurt us in the middle of next month.” Asked if he believed the big lead played a part in the decision, Mussina said, “We would have re-evaluated it if the standings were different.
We are up 6 ½ games; I am sure it had some bearing.” Joe Torre and Mussina talked it over at coffee shop near the hotel and when it was done, Mussina was on the DL with the same problem he had in late June, when he didn’t miss a start.
“Obviously, it’s something we have to stay after. This is the second time this season,” said the 37-year-old, who is 13-5 with a 3.61 ERA in 27 starts..
The move leaves open the door for Jeff Karstens to remain in the rotation beyond his second start, Sunday, against the Angels in Anaheim. At least that’s when he is slated to go. After Jaret Wright, Friday night’s scheduled starter, threw 17 pitches in relief Tuesday night, Torre told him to play catch yesterday and let him know if he needs another day of rest.
“We owe it to him to be at his best,” Torre said of Wright.
If Wright has to be pushed to Saturday, Cory Lidle would go from Saturday to Sunday and the Yankees would likely dip into Columbus for a starter for Friday. But Torre said he assumed Wright will make the start Friday. Carl Pavano, who is slated to make a rehab start Friday for Columbus, is a long shot to start then for the Yankees instead.
Karstens allowed three runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings in Tuesday’s 6-5 loss to the Mariners at Safeco Field in his major-league debut.
The red flag on Mussina for GM Brian Cashman was it was the second time in a little more than six weeks the problem surfaced.
“It never really went away,” Cashman said. “To me there is no such thing as a tweak. You have a pull or you don’t. It’s in our best interest to get it out of the way. The only way to do that is not for him to miss a start but to put him down.” Torre admitted the Yankees were being cautious.
“This is probably the safest thing,” Torre said. “We anticipate he will be fine.” Mussina is limited to playing catch and jogging.
Karstens left Tuesday night’s game as the potential winner – and left Torre impressed.
“He was very composed and threw strikes,” Torre said of the San Diego native taken in the 19th round of the 3003 draft. “I am glad that we got this one under his belt.”
