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Pavano set to return when Yanks meet Orioles

Aug 23, 2008 - 10:20 AM NY Yankees (68-60) at Baltimore (61-66) 7:05 p.m. EDT

BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- With the New York Yankees in desperate need of starting pitching, the team is turning to an unlikely source - Carl Pavano.

Pavano, who has not pitched in the majors since April 2007, will return to the Yankees' injury-riddled rotation Saturday when they face the Baltimore Orioles.

New York's Opening Day starter last season, Pavano underwent "Tommy John" surgery two starts into his 2007 campaign. It was supposed to be a comeback season for Pavano, who missed the entire 2006 season with a variety of ailments, including two broken ribs suffered in an automobile accident.

But that comeback was put on hold indefinitely, as the 6-5 starter needed more than a year of rehab and recovery. In five rehab starts in Class A Charleston and Class AA Trenton since July, Pavano went 1-1 with a 3.31 ERA in 19 innings. In his most recent tune-up, he struck out six over six innings for Trenton, giving up a one run.

That was good enough for Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who is hurting for depth on his pitching staff. Ace Chien-Ming Wang has been out since mid-June with a torn tendon in his right foot and second-year phenom Joba Chamberlain is out with tendinitis in his rotator cuff.

Top prospect Phil Hughes, who has been nursing a fractured rib, was a candidate to start, but his recent rehab outings have not been promising.

That leaves it up to Pavano, who is 5-6 in 19 starts over the last three seasons.

Pavano signed his lucrative four-year, $39.95 million deal with the Yankees after a breakout 2004 season, in which he went 18-8 for the Florida Marlins and finished sixth in the National League Cy Young Award voting.

He began his Yankee career in stellar fashion, throwing 6 1/3 strong innings to defeat the division-rival Boston Red Sox - who had also coveted him during the offseason but lost out in the bidding war for his services - in the second game of the 2005 season.

Since, it's been all downhill for Pavano, who went 4-6 with a 4.77 ERA in 17 starts in 2005 and missed the last two months of the season with an injured right shoulder.

The Orioles will counter with ace Jeremy Guthrie (10-9, 3.15 ERA). The righthander has been sharp of late, posting a 4-1 record with a 1.49 ERA over his last five starts. He allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings to earn a win against New York on July 28.

New York took the series opener on Friday, 9-4. Bobby Abreu went 5-for-5 as the Yankees exploded for six runs over the final two frames.