Which Pettitte will show for Yanks?

TORONTO - The results have been mixed for Andy Pettitte since he came off the disabled list.

In his first start, Sept. 19 against the Orioles in Baltimore, the lefthander looked as if he hadn't missed a beat in his two months away as he allowed one run and three hits in six innings.

It was dramatically different in the start that followed, Friday against Boston, when he allowed six earned runs and 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Will his last start of the regular season, which will take place this weekend in Boston, be enough to have him ready for the postseason?

"It's got to be good enough because this is all I got [left]," said Pettitte, who has had no pain in the left groin that landed him on the DL on July 19. "We'll throw this game [this weekend], have some good bullpen work and stuff like that and just hope to get that good feeling."

Pettitte (11-3, 3.17 ERA) originally was scheduled to pitch Wednesday night against the Blue Jays. But with the Yankees clinching a playoff spot behind CC Sabathia last night, manager Joe Girardi moved Pettitte back so that he can make his postseason start closer to regular rest. Javier Vazquez will start Wednesday night.

Other than naming Sabathia as the Game 1 starter, Girardi did not reveal his rotation for the Division Series, which begins next Wednesday, with Game 2 the following day.

Pettitte said he wants to fine tune several things in his final outing, first and foremost with his cutter.

"I'd love to get a little better feel of my cutter," Pettitte said. "I feel like I didn't use it quite as much in my last start as much as I wanted to going into the game. Other than that, it's just going to be another start. I just want to get in a good rhythm. I definitely don't want to pitch like I did against Boston."

Pettitte threw 75 pitches against the Red Sox and the Yankees would like for him to get his pitch count up to around 100. Encouraging for Pettitte was that he said "I felt good at 75," and could have gone longer, had his outing been going better.

"I would love to get to 100 pitches, I would love to get more because that means I'm pitching deep into the game," Pettitte said. "That's really the key for me is just to give us the innings, really."