CHICAGO -- A day after continuing to feel tightness in
his left forearm during a throwing session, Andy Pettitte is
back on the disabled list.
The Houston Astros on Monday placed the left-hander on the 15-day
DL, retroactive to May 26, and activated pitcher Chad Harville.
The Astros had said Friday that they were hoping Pettitte could start on June 7, but that won't be the case.
"He doesn't have to make himself get back on the mound. He has
to do it within his own timeframe, with how his arm feels," Astros
manager Jimy Williams said before Monday's game. "He's never had
this before. He's had the elbow before but he's never had the
forearm before."
Pettitte was forced to leave his last start after four innings
Wednesday against Chicago due to a strained left forearm.
After three days of rest, Pettitte attempted to throw Sunday,
but cut the session short due to discomfort in the forearm.
"I was hoping it was going to be looser than it was," said
Pettitte, who is 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA in seven starts for
Houston. "This is uncharted territory for me. I've had a lot
of elbow injuries before, but not a muscle injury."
Pettitte was on the disabled list from April 10-28 due to
soreness in his elbow. Left elbow problems also sent him to the disabled list from April 21 to June 14, 2002, when he was out with tendinitis.
Pettitte signed a three-year, $31.5 million contract with the
Astros in December after spending nine seasons with the New York
Yankees. He has a career record of 153-79.
Harville had been sidelined since May 6 because of a strained
right hamstring.
Information from SportsTicker and The Associated Press was used in this report.