Andy Pettitte

The Yankees have seemingly been stuck in the mud as of late. Despite remaining one of the best teams in all of Major League Baseball, they have unarguably had a rough September.

Following tonight's loss to the Red Sox, the Yankees have compiled a 10-12 record this September. Hand in hand with that 10-12 record are year-worst performances in pitching and hitting.

The big series in the standings may be the Yankees vs. the Rays, but judging by the ticket prices on StubHub, the one the fans care about is Yankees vs. Red Sox and we have a good one tonight as Andy Pettitte goes up against Josh Beckett.

Yankee fans and management had been growing uneasy recently, as the state of the starting rotation heading into the final weeks of the season has helped to create as many question as it has answered.

The prospect of heading into the post-season with a starting rotation led by CC Sabathia, followed by Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett, and Javier Vazquez or Ivan Nova was enough to shake the confidence of even the most ardent supporter of the team.

There is not much to report on today thanks to the off-day yesterday. Obviously the Yankees start a three game series against the Orioles tonight. A.J.

Yankees' starter Andy Pettitte is inching closer to his return. If all goes according to plan, he could return right before a key series against the Rays in New York, exactly one month after going on the disabled list with an injured groin.

Pettitte threw a scoreless four innings in a minor league rehab start for Double-A Trenton on Thursday. The outing was pain free, a big step in the right direction.

The Yankee left-hander has started 40 postseason games in his Major League career. In those games, Andy Pettitte is 18-9 with a 3.90 ERA. He also has five World Series rings.

How could a pitcher with that résumé feel a responsibility to a minor league team?

Well, it’s simple. Andy Pettitte needed to pitch a rehab assignment. The Yankees' Double-A affiliate, Trenton Thunder, is in the playoffs.

There has never been a more successful quartet of players than Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada who have won a combined 19 World Series together.

The Yankees won their eighth consecutive game today against the Toronto Blue Jays, and are the hottest team in baseball as the stretch run begins.

Javy Vazquez was less than stellar in his return to the starting rotation today, giving up five runs in four and two thirds innings pitched, the Blue Jays also slugged two home runs.

Via Chad Jennings of the Journal News:

Today, Andy Pettitte will pitch a bullpen session in Chicago. There are two possible outcomes for this situation.

Good outcome: Pettitte could return in mid-September and be the horse he was before the injury, when was on his way to a Cy Young-type season. 

Bad outcome: He could feel a "pull" in his groin, and the Yankees could be stuck with the pitchers they have, or get someone off waivers.