Toy Cannon
05-28-2004, 10:43 AM
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2596778
Knuckleballer Jared Fernandez did not impress Brad Ausmus or Jimy Williams in his first start this season, but he remains a top option to fill in if Andy Pettitte goes back on the DL.
The Astros announced that Andy Pettitte noticed improvement in the "tightness and comfort level" in his strained left forearm Thursday. Considering Pettitte exited after only four innings Wednesday night, however, it was too early to know if the veteran lefthander will start on schedule Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
According to the Astros, the tightness that forced Pettitte out of the 7-3 victory over the Cubs was not related to the elbow strain that landed him on the disabled list and forced him to miss three starts in April.
"It's been reconfirmed as just a muscle strain," the Astros announced. "They're going to monitor this and make the decision within the next couple of days whether he will make his next start Tuesday."
If Pettitte, 31, is forced to miss his start or go on the 15-day disabled list for the second time this year, another starter will be needed.
"I'm encouraged from the standpoint we've ruled out the elbow problem that has plagued him in the past," general manager Gerry Hunsicker said, alluding to the three DL stints Pettitte has had with left elbow problems in his career. "This is clearly not the same issue. This is definitely a muscle strain in that forearm. The big question is if we can put our finger on why it occurred and to prevent it from happening again.
"Tomorrow will be logically for him to try to play catch. If he feels good, then I would anticipate Saturday would be his bullpen. When we get to that point, we'll know more on whether next Tuesday will be realistic."
The Astros' pitching depth isn't as strong as they thought heading into camp. Righthanded reliever Brandon Duckworth and Class AAA New Orleans knuckleballer Jared Fernandez are the top two options to start if needed.
Duckworth is 1-0 with a 6.10 ERA, allowing 22 hits and 13 earned runs with seven home runs over 20 2/3 innings. He has appeared in 10 games, but only four since April 23. Fernandez (0-0, 54.00 ERA) broke camp with the Astros, landing back in New Orleans after allowing six hits and six earned runs with five walks in one inning over two outings.
The Astros also could alter the rotation and take advantage of a span of three days off between May 27 and June 10.
That doesn't seem realistic because this rotation sometimes needs an extra day to recover.
Righthanded prospect Chad Qualls and former major-league lefthander Carlos Hernandez, 24, have put up impressive numbers at New Orleans. Hernandez is 4-0 with a 2.65 ERA over 51 innings in nine starts. Hunsicker repeatedly has indicated Hernandez, who was out all of last season recovering from left shoulder surgery, isn't ready. Scouts say Hernandez's arm strength hovers around 77 mph on his fastball in the early innings. He has hit 90 mph a few times, but he rarely goes above 86.
"Part of my job is to anticipate things like this and try to protect us the best I can," Hunsicker said. "It's hard to protect against premier players getting hurt. You can't really replace these kinds of people when they go down. I don't want to speculate on our options. We'll be prepared."
Fernandez, who is 1-2 with a 4.04 ERA over 12 games (eight starts), got the first crack at a spot start when Pettitte landed on the DL in April. Fernandez struggled April 12 against St. Louis at Busch Stadium, giving up three hits and four runs with three walks while getting only one out before manager Jimy Williams called on the bullpen.
That spot start came only three days after Fernandez gave up three hits and two runs with two walks over two-thirds of an inning. By April 14, he was headed to New Orleans.
Duckworth made the next two spot starts, going 1-0 with a 7.00 ERA on nine hits, seven runs and four home runs over nine innings. He earned the 13-7 victory over the Rockies on April 23 by giving up five hits and four runs in five innings.
Duckworth's longest relief outing of the year was April 12, when he relieved Fernandez and gave up three hits and one run in 3 2/3 innings.
Duckworth threw 65 pitches April 12, 50 on April 17 in his first spot start against Milwaukee, and a season-high 76 pitches April 23 against Colorado. Since then, he has thrown 85 pitches combined over five innings. The longest outing in that span was his two-inning stint in the Astros' 7-0 loss Sunday, when he threw 29 pitches while giving up two hits and one run.
Therefore, Duckworth probably doesn't have enough arm stamina to last five innings.
"That's the problem when you have a guy in the bullpen that is your designated spot starter," Hunsicker said. "Trying to keep him active enough, that's one of the challenges."
Whatever the case, the Astros' main concern is getting Pettitte healthy again. Pettitte is the front-end starter who was given a three-year, $31.5 million contract after nine successful years with the Yankees.
"It really wasn't in the exact same area as before," Pettitte, 4-0 since coming off the DL, said Wednesday night. "It felt like it was a little bit more of like a muscle. After I was throwing my pitches, it was cramping up on me.
"Tell you the truth, I don't even know what it was doing. It gave me some problems and didn't feel good at all. It wasn't strong."
Now, Hunsicker hopes he is correct in his optimism.
"It appears to be a situation that would resolve itself," Hunsicker said. "It's just a matter of how quickly."
Knuckleballer Jared Fernandez did not impress Brad Ausmus or Jimy Williams in his first start this season, but he remains a top option to fill in if Andy Pettitte goes back on the DL.
The Astros announced that Andy Pettitte noticed improvement in the "tightness and comfort level" in his strained left forearm Thursday. Considering Pettitte exited after only four innings Wednesday night, however, it was too early to know if the veteran lefthander will start on schedule Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
According to the Astros, the tightness that forced Pettitte out of the 7-3 victory over the Cubs was not related to the elbow strain that landed him on the disabled list and forced him to miss three starts in April.
"It's been reconfirmed as just a muscle strain," the Astros announced. "They're going to monitor this and make the decision within the next couple of days whether he will make his next start Tuesday."
If Pettitte, 31, is forced to miss his start or go on the 15-day disabled list for the second time this year, another starter will be needed.
"I'm encouraged from the standpoint we've ruled out the elbow problem that has plagued him in the past," general manager Gerry Hunsicker said, alluding to the three DL stints Pettitte has had with left elbow problems in his career. "This is clearly not the same issue. This is definitely a muscle strain in that forearm. The big question is if we can put our finger on why it occurred and to prevent it from happening again.
"Tomorrow will be logically for him to try to play catch. If he feels good, then I would anticipate Saturday would be his bullpen. When we get to that point, we'll know more on whether next Tuesday will be realistic."
The Astros' pitching depth isn't as strong as they thought heading into camp. Righthanded reliever Brandon Duckworth and Class AAA New Orleans knuckleballer Jared Fernandez are the top two options to start if needed.
Duckworth is 1-0 with a 6.10 ERA, allowing 22 hits and 13 earned runs with seven home runs over 20 2/3 innings. He has appeared in 10 games, but only four since April 23. Fernandez (0-0, 54.00 ERA) broke camp with the Astros, landing back in New Orleans after allowing six hits and six earned runs with five walks in one inning over two outings.
The Astros also could alter the rotation and take advantage of a span of three days off between May 27 and June 10.
That doesn't seem realistic because this rotation sometimes needs an extra day to recover.
Righthanded prospect Chad Qualls and former major-league lefthander Carlos Hernandez, 24, have put up impressive numbers at New Orleans. Hernandez is 4-0 with a 2.65 ERA over 51 innings in nine starts. Hunsicker repeatedly has indicated Hernandez, who was out all of last season recovering from left shoulder surgery, isn't ready. Scouts say Hernandez's arm strength hovers around 77 mph on his fastball in the early innings. He has hit 90 mph a few times, but he rarely goes above 86.
"Part of my job is to anticipate things like this and try to protect us the best I can," Hunsicker said. "It's hard to protect against premier players getting hurt. You can't really replace these kinds of people when they go down. I don't want to speculate on our options. We'll be prepared."
Fernandez, who is 1-2 with a 4.04 ERA over 12 games (eight starts), got the first crack at a spot start when Pettitte landed on the DL in April. Fernandez struggled April 12 against St. Louis at Busch Stadium, giving up three hits and four runs with three walks while getting only one out before manager Jimy Williams called on the bullpen.
That spot start came only three days after Fernandez gave up three hits and two runs with two walks over two-thirds of an inning. By April 14, he was headed to New Orleans.
Duckworth made the next two spot starts, going 1-0 with a 7.00 ERA on nine hits, seven runs and four home runs over nine innings. He earned the 13-7 victory over the Rockies on April 23 by giving up five hits and four runs in five innings.
Duckworth's longest relief outing of the year was April 12, when he relieved Fernandez and gave up three hits and one run in 3 2/3 innings.
Duckworth threw 65 pitches April 12, 50 on April 17 in his first spot start against Milwaukee, and a season-high 76 pitches April 23 against Colorado. Since then, he has thrown 85 pitches combined over five innings. The longest outing in that span was his two-inning stint in the Astros' 7-0 loss Sunday, when he threw 29 pitches while giving up two hits and one run.
Therefore, Duckworth probably doesn't have enough arm stamina to last five innings.
"That's the problem when you have a guy in the bullpen that is your designated spot starter," Hunsicker said. "Trying to keep him active enough, that's one of the challenges."
Whatever the case, the Astros' main concern is getting Pettitte healthy again. Pettitte is the front-end starter who was given a three-year, $31.5 million contract after nine successful years with the Yankees.
"It really wasn't in the exact same area as before," Pettitte, 4-0 since coming off the DL, said Wednesday night. "It felt like it was a little bit more of like a muscle. After I was throwing my pitches, it was cramping up on me.
"Tell you the truth, I don't even know what it was doing. It gave me some problems and didn't feel good at all. It wasn't strong."
Now, Hunsicker hopes he is correct in his optimism.
"It appears to be a situation that would resolve itself," Hunsicker said. "It's just a matter of how quickly."