Joe Torre said he hopes Andy Pettitte can throw a bullpen session tomorrow (he has been out since Monday due to back spasms). However, they won't allow him on the mound until he feels nothing in his back. Pettitte said this morning he still feels it a little bit.
Torre would not completely rule out the idea of Pettitte pitching Opening Day, but it is a long shot.
"I'm not saying it won't happen, but to me, it's doubtful."
Torre also was encouraged by Wang's comfort level today in the training room and even playing catch. They still expect him to be out until late April with the right hamstring strain.
Jorge Posada came to the ballpark this morning but was sent home. He still has a sore throat from the virus he is fighting, and was placed on antibiotics.
Torre also expects to have Bobby Abreu hit third this season. The way Abreu has looked in his first few games since coming back from the oblique strain is better than the Yankees expected.
Tigers lineup for today
Curtis Granderson CF
Placido Polanco 2B
Craig Monroe LF
Gary Sheffield DH
Magglio Ordonez RF
Sean Casey 1B
Ivan Rodriguez C
Brandon Inge 3B
Omar Infante SS
Jason Grilli P
Oh, almost forgot -- there was another bee incident today! This one was during batting practice, but actually kind of scary. Hundreds of bees were flying around, then they actually got into a honeycomb-type formation on the BP fence set up around second base. There were probably 1,000-2,000 bees there. Some brave groundskeepers slowly rolled the thing off the field. In the 10 minutes or so in the meantime, players, coaches, and everyone else stayed as far back as possible.
Comments (1)
I guess we'll have to head on over to Yankees.com to get the Yankees lineup.
Yankees are losing to Tigers, but Yankees typically don't do well in Spring Training. Commentators reflect on how position players approach the last two weeks of ST: Positions are set in stone, it's merely a practice session, hard to get mentally excited about games that don't count, and they have to stay healthy for the real thing.
Tigers are at home and appear to be eager and psyched, though, as Granderson practically breaks his wrist sliding forcefully to save a couple of runs. He's grimacing, but he saved those runs that means absolutely nothing. Shef has a grudge and will take any opportunity to get his revenge on the Yankees. He'll treat every game against the Yankees like it's the game of his life.
The Yankees are losing this game right now, but no need for concern as every team who plays against the Yankees, even in ST, approaches each game like it's Game 7 of the World Series.