YANKEE NOTES
Viewed through a 9-7 Yankee victory, the performances of Chien-Ming Wang and Tanyon Sturtze didn’t look as bad as they could have.
Wang, the Yankees’ No. 3 starter, gave up five runs and eight hits in six innings against the Royals. Sturtze recorded one out and gave up two runs and three hits, including a homer to Shane Costa.
“I can’t evaluate it,” Torre said of Wang’s outing, which started strongly when Wang recorded eight of the first nine outs on the ground. “He elevated a couple of pitches and they let him know about it. He has to get a little more consistent with his command.”
As for Sturtze, he agreed with Torre that Costa’s homer was wind-aided, but he also understood why the sold-out Stadium crowd booed him off the mound.
“I gave up two runs, I expect them to boo me,” said Sturtze, who surrendered a double to Mark Grudzielanek and an RBI single to Reggie Sanders that glanced off Alex Rodriguez’s glove. “It was a pop-up homer, a double and Alex catches that ball 10 out of 10 times. What can you do?”
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Mike Myers not only fanned the left-handed batter he was brought into face in the seventh (Doug Mientkiewicz), he picked Sanders (an inherited runner) off first for the second out.
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Torre said Carl Pavano is frustrated. Brian Cashman reports the injured right-hander is itching to get back.
However, the best the Yankees have to offer on Pavano is that he is expected to climb halfway up a bullpen mound and throw tomorrow after continuing his flat-ground throwing program yesterday. He made 41 throws from 50 feet yesterday.
“I talked to Pavano [Monday] and he is frustrated,” Torre said of Pavano, who is on the DL with a sore butt. “He feels better but it’s still there. It’s getting better.”
Cashman said the club has kept Pavano from going at a faster pace.
“We’re taking it on our time frame, and you’ve got to protect the player from himself, too,” Cashman said. “He wants to get it going. So we wanted to get through at least two flat grounds without restrictions or problems, which he’s done now.”
Asked if he had a date in mind for Pavano’s return to the big leagues, Cashman said he didn’t.
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Aaron Small (hamstring) is slated to throw 35 pitches in an extended spring game today at the minor-league complex in Tampa.
