Mussina Might Have Pitched Himself Out Of Yankees' Rotation

DETROIT (AP) _ Mike Mussina gave up six runs in just three innings Monday night against the Detroit Tigers, sinking even lower in one of the worst stretches of his career. <br/><br/>Before the series finale,

Monday, August 27th 2007, 8:10 pm

By: News On 6

DETROIT (AP) _ Mike Mussina gave up six runs in just three innings Monday night against the Detroit Tigers, sinking even lower in one of the worst stretches of his career.

Before the series finale, Yankees Joe Torre said Mussina wasn't pitching to save his place in the rotation. But on Friday, Torre did say all options would be considered in the best interest of Mussina and the team.

For the first time in Mussina's 17 seasons, he has allowed at least six earned runs in three straight starts and lasted three innings or fewer in back-to-back outings.

Mussina has allowed 19 earned runs in 9 2-3 innings _ an ERA of 17.69 _ in his last three starts, his season ERA rising from 4.50 to 5.53 .

He had won four straight starts before allowing seven runs _ six earned _ in five innings of a 8-5 loss to the Tigers on Aug. 16. In his next outing, he gave up seven runs in 1 2-3 innings in Anaheim, a game the Yankees lost 18-9.

Mussina had worked with pitching coach Ron Guidry between starts, and Torre had expressed optimism that the 38-year-old right-hander would pitch more aggressively. But the 247-game winner left Monday's game with the Yankees trailing 6-0.