TAMPA — Nine days ago Joe Torre said he preferred to have Ed Yarnall be his fifth starter so that Torre would have the versatile Ramiro Mendoza available to work in the bullpen.
Last night, Torre threw open the battle for the No. 5 spot, indicating Mendoza could unseat the 24-year-old rookie lefty, which in all likelihood would mean Yarnall would start the season in Columbus (Triple-A) if Allen Watson’s left shoulder isn’t an issue. Torre also mentioned the possibility of going with 10 pitchers to start the season.
“The fifth spot is up for grabs at this point in time,” Torre said while talking about what his Opening Day roster will look like. “We will see Yarnall [tonight].”
While Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, Andy Pettitte, David Cone and Roger Clemens have been stellar throughout the exhibition season, Yarnall and Mendoza have struggled.
Based on Yarnall’s spring, it would be very surprising if Torre wasn’t looking at an option in the No. 5 hole. Slowed by back spasms at the beginning of camp, Yarnall hasn’t pitched effectively in two outings. He was rocked for 10 runs and three homers in one inning during his exhibition-season debut against the Blue Jays on March 12.
This past Friday against the Braves, Yarnall showed improvement but still gave up five runs in three innings. In two starts, Yarnall is 0-2 with an unsightly 33.75 ERA. In four innings, he has given up 15 hits and three walks.
“I hope we can find a little relaxation for him,” Torre said of Yarnall, who will pitch tonight against the Blue Jays after David Cone starts. “His confidence is what I will keep an eye on. His stuff is good. It’s the same stuff we saw when he came up [last year]. It’s not the same stuff we saw [last] spring training when it wasn’t good enough to make our club.”
With the schedule across the first two weeks, a fifth starter isn’t needed until the Yankees go through the rotation twice. That means even if Mendoza claims the No. 5 spot, he won’t make a start until the middle of April.
And while it’s a bit of a turnaround on Torre’s part in regard to the competition being open, it’s not like Mendoza has pitched all that well. In four games (three starts), the sinkerballing right-hander is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA. This past Saturday he was rocked by the Royals for eight hits and six runs in four innings.
“He just got his [butt] kicked,” Torre said of the outing. “Hopefully there is nothing wrong. Hopefully he just got his [butt] kicked.”
Mendoza threw in the bullpen yesterday for 15 minutes under the watchful eye of pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, who came away pleased that Mendoza was making progress.
Even though Torre was leaning toward Yarnall early, he made sure Mendoza worked like a starter. Slowed by a nasty bout with bronchitis, Mendoza missed conditioning time and was weakened.
“The reason we had six starters for five spots was just in the event somebody gets hurt,” Torre said. “You have to do that. You aren’t trying to threaten somebody. In the event somebody breaks down and you have a guy pitching out of the bullpen who doesn’t have as many innings as he should have. You use it as a safety valve.”
Now it appears that safety valve has given Torre the option to turn to Mendoza if Yarnall doesn’t begin to get untracked tonight.
When the Yankees dealt Hideki Irabu to the Expos, Yarnall figured in the move to the point where GM Brian Cashman said if Yarnall wasn’t around, he may not have made the deal in which the Yankees acquired righty Jake Westbrook and lefty Ted Lilly. There were money considerations in moving Irabu but he was a serviceable No. 5 starter even though so much more was expected from him.
Acquired from the Marlins in the Mike Lowell deal, Yarnall went 13-4 with a 3.47 ERA at Columbus. He tied for the International League ERA title, was second in wins and third in strikeouts, fanning 146 in 1451/3 innings. Yarnall appeared in five games (two starts) for the Yankees and was 1-0 with a 3.71 ERA.
“I don’t think I have been given anything,” Yarnall said following the Braves outing. “With this team you have to perform. If you struggle too long, they will get somebody else.”
