"If there was a bona fide candidate to fill in for Javier Vazquez, the Yankees might have considered skipping his scheduled start tonight against the Tigers at Yankee Stadium with the hope that the rest would inject more life into his right arm.

Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin were possibilities, but neither is stretched out. Ivan Nova is pitching very well at Triple-A, but promoting him from the minors would necessitate a roster move that the Yankees would like to avoid in a non-emergency situation.

"[Skipping] is always an option, but we didn't discuss that," pitching coach Dave Eiland said. "He is not hurt -- no pain, no injury."

So the Yankees did the next best thing when they curtailed Vazquez's bullpen work between starts.

"We cut his bullpen back, workload and intensity," Eiland said.

Vazquez's fastball was a lifeless 87-88 mph when he pitched at the Rangers Wednesday. After the 4 1/3-inning stint, in which he gave up six runs and eight hits, Vazquez said he was puzzled by the lack of velocity.

"I feel good, but the velocity is not there. The bottom line is that it's not there. I reach back and see 88 and it's frustrating," Vazquez said. "At 92-93, I can be a little more aggressive. At 88, I have to locate. The fastball wasn't there. I didn't have any zip on it.""