Judgment day for Wang - 棒球

Judgment day for Wang

Wang was the ace of the Yankees’ staff last season.
Photo: GETTY IMAGES
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MLB. If Chien-Ming Wang can’t get his signature pitch to sink, he won’t
be rising to the rotation.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi will get to see just how effective Wang’s
sinker is when the pitcher returns to Yankee Stadium today for a side
session. Wang has been making rehab starts since being placed on the
disabled list April 24 with a hip injury. Wang’s velocity has been
clocked between 88 and 93 mph, while his secondary pitches have improved.
“There was some inconsistency in his sinker, and we want see how he’s
doing. Then we’ll make the decision after that,” Girardi said before
last night’s series finale with the Twins, which ended too late for this
edition.
In two minor league rehab starts Wang has thrown 13 shutout innings.
Sunday in Scranton-Wilkes Barre, the right-hander threw a seven-inning
complete game. He faced a lineup featuring Indians slugger Travis Hafner
and allowed only four hits and threw 49 of 75 pitches for strikes.
Before being placed on the disabled list, Wang was 0-2 with a 34.50 ERA.
In six innings he had been rocked for 23 runs and 23 hits.
After evaluating Wang, the Yankees will decide on the next step, though a
return to the majors would likely be after this turn through the rotation.
Phil Hughes has made four fill-in starts for Wang. Hughes’ next
scheduled outing is tomorrow against the Orioles.

One player expected to return is eighth-inning setup man Brian Bruney, who
last pitched April 21. Bruney has been on the disabled list with a right
elbow injury that he believes was caused by warming up through the entire
8 ½ minute video review of a Jorge Posada home run on April 19.

Bruney said that he spoke with the player’s association about it and they
told him there was a central office in charge of handling reviews.

“I don’t know if somebody was on a lunch break or what,” he said, “But
eight and a half minutes is a long time for anybody to be throwing.”

Bruney started the second game of a doubleheader for Scranton-Wilkes Barre
and threw 15 pitches in his only inning.

Girardi said the only way Bruney would not return if the right-hander told
him he was not ready to pitch.

When Bruney returns, it will end the constant mixing and matching in the
eighth. Entering yesterday, the Yankees are 12-11 without Bruney and they
have played nine games in which they led or were tied in the eighth.

In those games, relievers only allowed two runs and that was Saturday when
left-hander Phil Coke allowed a solo home run to Justin Morneau and an RBI
double to Brian Buscher.

Bruney’s return also means that a reliever will be sent down as the
Yankees do not intend to carry 13 pitchers. The only relievers with
options are Jonathan Albaladejo, Edwar Ramirez and Alfredo Aceves.


LARRY FLEISHER


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