Davidoff: Pettitte, Hughes provide encouraging work

BOSTON

It carried the intensity of a playoff game at Fenway Park yesterday, even if the Red Sox fielded their junior varsity squad with special guest stars Victor Martinez and David Ortiz.

So when Derek Jeter's 10th-inning check swing against Jonathan Papelbon allowed Brett Gardner to score from second for a 6-5 Yankees victory in Game 1 of the doubleheader, with help from a Bill Hall error, the defending world champions had reason to feel exultant.

With the Rays beating the Royals, the race for the AL East title will carry into the regular season's final day. And the Yankees will approach that seriously, as Joe Girardi displayed with the way he managed Game 1.

Really, though, at this point, the Game 1 performances of only two pitchers mattered: Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes. The lefty veteran offered mixed results in 88 pitches; Hughes excelled with his 14 pitches.

There's no more prep time for what likely will be the Yankees' three-man rotation in the ALDS. A.J. Burnett's Game 2 start last night figured to factor more into a decision concerning the ALCS, when the Yankees will pretty much have to use four starters - if they get that far.

"I wish I had thrown seven innings," Pettitte said. " . . . I'm ready to go. I'm looking forward to the playoffs now."

Said Hughes, "It's that time of year."

Pettitte, the likely ALDS Game 2 starter, lasted only four-plus innings, allowing three runs and nine hits, walking two and striking out eight. The eight Ks showed he brought something to the party. Interestingly, seven of the strikeouts came on his cutter and one on his fastball.

It is, as we know, Pettitte's trademark to weave in and out of trouble, and he passed his most important test on that front. With the score tied at 3 and Red Sox runners on first and third with one out in the fourth, Boston's two most intimidating batters came up. Martinez and Ortiz both whiffed on cutters, Ortiz after getting ahead 2-and-0.

It marked a dramatic improvement from Pettitte's previous start, when Boston pounded him for seven runs (six earned) and 10 hits in 31/3 innings and - after the fact - he confirmed a report that back stiffness factored into the performance. His back felt fine in this, his third start since returning from the disabled list (strained left groin), he said.

With Pettitte picking up only 12 outs, Girardi went all out to win Game 1, turning to David Robertson, Boone Logan, Joba Chamberlain, Kerry Wood, Hughes and Mariano Rivera. They combined to strike out 18. With Girardi not expecting to use any of his relievers twice, Burnett didn't have much support waiting for him in Game 2.

Hughes came in for the ninth and blew past the trio of Hall (strikeout looking), Daniel Nava (grounder to Jeter) and Yamaico Navarro (strikeout swinging). He appears ready for his first career postseason start, most likely Game 3 - with CC Sabathia ready to go in Game 4 on three days' rest and Pettitte in Game 5 on four days' rest.

"We want to win the division. Bottom line," Jeter said, and they showed it. Of course, they want to win the World Series, too. So Game 1 provided full encouragement on the first goal and some encouragement on the latter.

"It is what it is," Pettitte said before repeating his mantra of the day: "I'm ready to go."

It'll be higher stakes and better lineups, but there's no more time to sweat it. We'll see soon enough whether this starting rotation suffices.