ARLINGTON – While the Yankees aren’t against putting Roger Clemens and his bothersome left hamstring on the DL, they are leaning toward having the Rocket skip one turn instead of putting him on the shelf for 15 days.
Clemens, who lasted just two innings in Tuesday’s 7-6 Yankees win over the Rangers at The Ballpark, left the game with what was described as a stiff left hamstring. Yesterday, the injury was upgraded to a muscle strain.
“It’s tight and sore,” said Clemens, whose AL record-tying 17-game winning streak remained intact when the Yankees overcame the 5-0 hole Clemens put them in with a putrid first inning. “But I am pretty sure I didn’t tear it because I would know.”
By skipping Clemens Sunday, they can bring him back a week from tomorrow against the Mariners at Yankee Stadium. That would provide Hideki Irabu a chance to make his first start of the season Sunday in Kansas City against the Royals. Irabu has pitched very well in his last two relief outings, allowing one run and three hits in eight innings.
Tuesday night, Paul O’Neill credited Irabu with winning the game with five innings of one-run relief work.
However, if Clemens doesn’t respond to treatment, he could be placed on the DL and that could happen as soon as today since the Yankees have to make room for Scott Brosius’ return from the DL. More likely if Clemens is shelved, Todd Erdos would be recalled from Columbus (Triple-A) with Brosius replacing Clay Bellinger.
“It’s something to address,” GM Brian Cashman said of putting Clemens on the shelf for the first time since 1995 when he had a right shoulder problem. “You can’t let something like this linger.
“If it’s the right move, we have to do it. We always look at the big picture around here. And the big picture isn’t to win in a 15-day stretch but to win over a 162-game stretch.”
Clemens, who faces three straight days of ice treatments, was walking better yesterday than he was when he exited The Ballpark Tuesday night with the leg heavily wrapped. He will be evaluated daily according to the club’s medical staff, which listed Clemens as day-to-day.
As for Irabu, he was receiving kudos for not turning to goo in the bullpen after being dislodged from his spot in the rotation by Ramiro Mendoza at the beginning of the season.
