Yeah, that looks like it could hurt: the last Pedro Feliciano folder we will run until... when? (AP)
Perhaps this post is premature, since we don't yet know what exactly is wrong with the guy, but it seems that Brian Cashman will have more reasons to lament signing Pedro Feliciano. After Wednesday's game, Joe Girardi announced he has a "damaged shoulder," which is a bit like saying that King Louis XVI had a damaged head. It conveys some sense of the problem without really getting to the point. Whatever the damage, Girardi wanted to give the pitcher time to talk over the next move with his doctors and representatives, which is both odd and ominous. Whatever the case, it doesn't sound like he'll be back any time soon, because if your test comes back and the only question the doctor wants you to answer is, "Do you want the red lollipop or the yellow lollipop?" you generally don't need to discuss that with anyone before making your next move. Take it from me, I know.
So it seems the Yankees will do without Everyday Pedro, at least for awhile. Maybe they'll go with one lefty in the pen for awhile, as they've been doing, maybe they'll reach down to Trenton for Steve Garrison. Given that they are now 6-4 on the season and their losses have terribly little to do with the presence or absence of one more situational lefty in the pen, they might be better off going with the best pitcher they have for the spot rather than worrying overmuch about handedness. But then, that's what I always say. It's long been a mantra of mine to have the best pitchers on a team rather than the best pitcher who fits a perceived need at a given moment. Or Sergio Mitre. Some things are just obvious.
Now we wait to find out what's wrong, find out if the injury is related to pitching approximately 999 games over the last four years, or if this was something that just happened. Yet, in the history of this pennant race that will someday be written, I very much doubt the presence or absence of Pedro Feliciano will figure heavily.