Pettitte at '75 percent' in simulated game; no date for rehab start yet

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Another day, another setback for Andy Pettitte.

The lefthander threw his 50-pitch simulated game Friday in Tampa but his strained left groin didn't react the way he or the Yankees hoped it would.

"It didn't go as well as we wanted," manager Joe Girardi said before Friday night's game, which was started by Pettitte's replacement, Dustin Moseley. "He felt like he could only push off 75 percent."

Girardi said Pettitte, who has been on the disabled list since July 20, would rejoin the Yankees in Kansas City, likely by Saturday.

"I definitely think he thinks it's a setback," said Girardi, who spoke with Pettitte after the session. "You'd have to ask him, but I think he felt that he'd be able to go through this and then go make a rehab start."

Pettitte was supposed to throw the simulated game Thursday but was pushed back a day when he felt some stiffness in his left hip flexor, which Girardi said was not an issue Friday.

Pettitte, and the Yankees, hoped he would come through this week's simulated game OK and make a rehab appearance Monday or Tuesday with one of the team's minor-league affiliates. No new timetable has been set and there is still hope Pettitte will be able to throw another simulated game within a week or so.

Before leaving for Tampa on Monday, Pettitte said he was pleased with how his rehab was going, reiterating what he had said the previous week: that he was about a week ahead of the original 4-5 week prognosis.

"I don't feel it at all," Pettitte said after throwing a bullpen session that was his final hurdle to clear before being green-lighted to head to Tampa to throw the simulated game. "Everything feels good."

Not surprisingly, when Girardi talked to the lefthander Friday, his spirits weren't as high as when he left.

"I think he's frustrated because he wants to get back out there," Girardi said. "If you remember when he was talking after a week and 10 days that he was going to be back in three [weeks], I think he's frustrated. But we told him, this was probably three weeks because of what a pitcher has to do."

Girardi said Pettitte "probably needs a little more rest," the primary reason the Yankees are having the lefthander rejoin the team.

"This way, we can make him relax, get him a lot of treatment, if we have to do a lot of stretching with him, we'll do that," Girardi said. "Because, I know for me, whenever I was on the DL, it was hard. It's hard not to go out and try to do what you're accustomed to doing. It's really difficult."

He doesn't think Pettitte overextended himself but said Pettitte's competitive nature makes it tempting.

"You worry about a player pushing it more than he should," Girardi said. "But he did a good job today. I'm happy with what he did today where he didn't try to do too much and hopefully he can keep that attitude."

Moseley entered Friday 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA since taking over for Pettitte (Sergio Mitre made the first start in Pettitte's place July 24), including a 61/3-inning, two-run performance Sunday against Boston.

"He's done a good job for us in that spot," Girardi said. "That's all we were asking him to do, just give us a chance to win and he's done it. He pitched a big game for us last Sunday. It's definitely been helpful."