May 29, 2007, 23:05 GMT
Toronto, ON - New York Yankees manager Joe Torre said on Tuesday that he will not alter his rotation this weekend to accommodate the return of Roger Clemens.
Torre said that he will stay with the trio of Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte as the starters for this weekend's series against the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox.
That leaves the possibility of Clemens making his return on the following Monday when the Yankees open a four-game set at the Chicago White Sox. That spot in the rotation currently belongs to Matt DeSalvo.
Torre, though, wouldn't commit to that, saying he wants to wait until he talks with Clemens.
After Tuesday's action, New York trails the Red Sox by 14 1/2 games. The Yankees have lost five in a row and 13 of their last 18 games.
On Monday, Clemens made his last minor-league start. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits, striking out six and walking two for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He threw just 89 pitches, 57 for strikes, and when he departed his club held a 1-0 lead over the Toledo Mud Hens, the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre won the game 2-0.
'I'll do the best I can when they give me the ball,' said Clemens after the game, adding he had no idea when or where his next scheduled start will be.
Clemens, who was signed to a prorated $28 million contract on May 6, made a pair of minor league starts prior to this one. With Double-A Trenton Wednesday night he was shaky, yielding three runs on six hits with four walks, a wild pitch and a hit batter on 102 pitches in 5 1/3 frames against Portland.
After that game it was determined that the right-hander would need at least one more minor league start before joining the Yankees.
The 44-year-old Clemens spent the past three seasons with the Houston Astros after his first retirement following the 2003 campaign with New York. He pitched with the Yankees from 1999 through 2003, winning a pair of World Series titles during his five years with the club.
An 11-time All-Star, Clemens' 348 victories rank eighth in big league history. He is also one of just four pitchers with more than 4,000 strikeouts, as his 4,604 trail only Nolan Ryan on the all-time list.
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