Yankees brass feels Clemens' 'ready to go' after solid outing

MOOSIC, Pa. -- Roger Clemens appears ready to rejoin the New York Yankees' starting rotation.

Clemens pitched six shutout innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a 2-0 victory over Toledo on Monday, leaving to a standing ovation from an overflow crowd in what was likely his final minor league tuneup.

"My arm feels great," the seven-time Cy Young Award winner said. "I'll have, hopefully, normal soreness tomorrow and just go from there. I don't know what to tell you guys. I have to wait and hear from the guys who were watching, how they assess it."

Yankees vice president Billy Connors, who has been monitoring Clemens throughout his minor league tour, talked to general manager Brian Cashman after the game and pronounced Clemens ready for the major league rotation

"This was the step that he needed," Connors said. "He's ready to go."

Clemens struck out six and gave up two hits and two walks, showing improved command from last Wednesday's outing at Double-A Trenton. The 44-year-old right-hander is on track to pitch for the Yankees this weekend at Boston or next week at Chicago.

Clemens throws 89 pitches in six shutout innings. (AP)

New York dropped 13½ games behind Boston in the AL East following a 7-2 loss at Toronto, its fourth straight defeat and eighth in 11 games.

"My guess is we'll know something possibly tomorrow or wait for his throw day on Wednesday," Yankees manager Joe Torre said.

On Sunday, Cashman said the team would evaluate Clemens' performance Monday before deciding when he would join them.

"I have expectations to do well," Clemens said. "We still have a long part of the season left, and the talent that this team has at the major league level is like none other. It just has to come out, and guys will get it going. I'm sure they're all feeling the same way. They know it's there, they just need to put it all together."

Clemens threw 58 of 89 pitches for strikes. His two walks came on full-count pitches, and he was primarily in the strike zone when he needed to be. He struck out Timo Perez to end the first, and fanned at least one batter in each inning except the sixth.

"When he missed, they were good misses," Scranton pitching coach Dave Eiland said.

Clemens gave up a sharply hit single in the second and a ground single in the sixth, and never allowed more than one runner in an inning. In his prior outing, he allowed three runs, six hits and four walks in 5 1-3 innings.