Sunday Night Sox & Yanks

Roger Clemens (6-6, 4.40 ERA) will not allow a lingering elbow injury prevent him from a potential swan song at Fenway Park. After throwing 40-plus pitches off the right field mound at Rogers Centre on Thursday, Clemens proclaimed himself ready to face the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, according to a report on the New York Yankees' web site. "I'll push my body until it pulls back a little bit," said Clemens, who had two cortisone shots in his right elbow last week. "All I can hope and trust is that the doctor got the right spot, and listen to the guys here and other guys who have had elbow issues and cortisone shots. I'm the old guy. I'm the old horse. I'm going to go out there and be effective." According to the report, Yankees manager Joe Torre watched Clemens' session, flanked by pitching coach Ron Guidry, and said that the chances of a Rocket re-launch in Boston - where he has not pitched during the regular season since August 31, 2003 - are good. "We'll wait, obviously, until (Friday) to see how he comes in," Torre told the web site. "But it looks like he'll be all right." Clemens also had a bullpen session prior to Tuesday's game in Toronto, throwing at about 80 percent effort. "They (doctors) think I can handle it," Clemens told the Daily News after the Tuesday session. "They said I had to be careful of the forearm, there's some bleeding in it and I knew that because it doesn't lock up like that. It's the wear and tear of pitching."

Clemens, 45, had the muscles in his forearm lock up on him in his last outing, a 7-1 loss to Seattle on September 3 in which he gave five runs and eight hits in four innings. If he is able to pitch Sunday, Clemens could possibly be making his final regular-season start at Boston, where he started his Hall of Fame career in 1984.

Clemens will be opposed by Boston's Curt Schilling (8-7, 3.94 ERA) in this ESPN Sunday Night Baseball showdown. Schilling has pitched decently lately, but the Red Sox offense hasn't given him much support. The right-hander has a 2-2 record and a 3.48 ERA over his last five starts.
Not surprisingly, the game is a pick'em with these two veterans on the mound. Oddsmakers aren't sure whether these two can get it done anymore, thus they set the total at 10 runs.

Play: Yankees +100