New York Yankees' CC Sabathia to See Dr. James Andrews

After being swept by the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS, the New York Yankees are now receiving more bad news, as ace CC Sabathia is being sent to have his pitching elbow examined by Dr. James Andrews.
The injury is believed to be a bone spur, but Sabathia admits that he is concerned about the possibility of needing surgery.

"Yeah, you have to be concerned, because like I've said, I've never had any problems with the elbow before," Sabathia told the New York Daily News. "We have to wait and see… It's something that I've not felt before, never had, so it's best to go get it checked out and go from there."

Andrews could recommend surgery to remove the bone spur, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman
is not concerned about any ligament damage in the left-hander's elbow.
Sabathia, 32, was 15-6 with a 3.38 ERA this season. He also went 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA in three postseason starts. However, he failed to reach 230 innings pitched for the first time since 2006 after spending two stints on the disabled list this summer.

Coming off five consecutive starts of eight innings or more while giving up two runs or less, the former Cy Young winner struggled in his final start, allowing 11 hits and six runs in just three and two third innings against the Tigers in the decisive game four loss.
Though losing that game bothers Sabathia, he does not blame the injury for his poor outing.

"I don't think it affected the way I was out on the field. When I was out there, I was feeling good," said Sabathia. "Definitely, any time you end the season like that, it makes it tough. It will sting for a while."

With the ace of New York's rotation now dealing with elbow concerns, the team has a staff full of question marks heading into the offseason. Should Sabathia be ready to go next season, who will be joining him is undetermined at the moment.
Veteran left-hander Andy Pettitte could look to retire, Hiroki Kuroda is a free agent, Ivan Nova was removed from the rotation late in the season, Phil Hughes left his final start of the postseason with a back injury, and Michael Pineda is recovering from elbow surgery after missing the entire season.
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