PAINED PINEDA
Gets up to speed
are going to proceed cautiously, and with Andy Pettitte apparently progressing nicely in his comeback, Pineda could have a tough time pitching his way back into the starting rotation.
Much depends on the other pitchers, but if Pettitte’s comeback proves successful, the Yankees may not have a great need for Pineda this season.
And who knows, maybe Pineda, who came to camp overweight, won’t be quite right until next year. That appears to be the case with Hughes, who came to camp in much better shape and so far has looked a lot like 2010 version that won 18 games.
For the moment, at least, you have to consider the possibility that Pineda’s first season in the big leagues took something out of his arm. He’d never thrown more than 139 1/3 innings as a minor leaguer, and while the jump to 171 last year is a fairly standard progression, Joe Girardi admitted Saturday it could be a factor.
“I think there’s something to that,’’ he said. “You have to be careful and protect players as they’re maturing physically.’’
Girardi previously had downplayed all talk about Pineda’s velocity but on Saturday, after the 6-7 righthander was hit hard Friday night, he admitted the Yankees have been puzzled by it. He also said the tendinitis wasn’t necessarily a cause, as Pineda’s shoulder seemed to be fine until he complained of the soreness on Friday night.
“There was always a curiosity,’’ said Girardi, “as to why (the velocity) wasn’t going higher. Just as (the media) is looking for answers, we’re looking, too.’’ Whatever the cause, it’s still hard to believe Pineda won’t eventually pay big dividends for the Yankees. Just don’t expect it to be anytime soon.
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