Rieber: Pettitte passes big test in return from injury

BALTIMORE

The first, and biggest, test came four batters into Andy Pettitte's first big-league start in two months.

Adam Jones dropped a bunt between third base and the mound. Pettitte came off the mound to go after it and slipped. Eight weeks after he first strained his left groin, there Pettitte was making a quick and unnatural movement to his left.

Luckily for Pettitte and the Yankees, no harm was done. He continued to pitch and was in line for the win Sunday before Mariano Rivera allowed a tying home run in the ninth inning to Baltimore's Luke Scott.

The Yankees went on to lose, 4-3, in 11 innings. They lost the game, but they won the day because Pettitte's groin did not go pop on Jones' two-out RBI bunt single.

"I'll tell you what - I wasn't expecting a two-out bunt from their four-hole hitter with a runner on third base," said Pettitte, who allowed one run, three hits and a walk in six innings.

"And I slipped right when I broke to it. My left leg . . . left foot went right out. The dirt moved on me. So that was about as good a test as I was going to get right there to slip."

Said manager Joe Girardi: "Andy pitched well today. I'm pleased about that. I kind of held my breath on that bunt play by Adam Jones when he had to make a quick move, but he came out of that fine."

Pettitte's solid return, CC Sabathia's 20th win Saturday and A.J. Burnett's seven strong innings Friday have given the Yankees exactly what they needed coming into this weekend series: more certainty about their starting rotation heading into the postseason.

"I think our rotation is throwing the ball much better," Girardi said. "And your rotation becomes extremely important in the month of September, down the stretch here, and what we're trying to accomplish."

It's more important in the month of October, when what the Yankees will be trying to accomplish is becoming the first repeat World Series champions since . . . the Yankees of 1999-2000.

Those teams were built on strong starting pitching and superb bullpen work. The Yankees got the former this weekend, but not the latter Sunday. With a 3-1 lead, Boone Logan and Kerry Wood allowed a run in the eighth and Rivera blew the save in the ninth.

"It's unacceptable," Rivera said.

Actually, it's quite acceptable in September. The Yankees have been saying the same thing since Rivera became the closer in 1997: They'll take their chances with him on the mound with a one-run lead in the ninth inning. If he doesn't come through, so be it. He's not a question mark.

Pettitte is, though less so after Sunday. He has two more regular-season starts to build up to postseason-ready and could even get an inning or two on the season's final day, depending on how things stack up.

At this point, he needs to pitch more than he needs to rest. Pettitte threw 79 pitches Sunday, which means he doesn't have a lot of time to work up to the 110 or so he'll need in the first round against either Texas or Minnesota.

"It's amazing how fast you get out there and you get going and get the blood pumping and get the feel of it," he said. "I felt pretty good. I was definitely getting a little tired. It was a nice day [80 degrees], but I was sweating an awful lot. It was a good test."