Un-retired Yankee lefty Andy Pettitte dominated in his second minor-league start on Sunday: in 4.0 shutout innings for High-A Tampa, he whiffed three, walked none and gave up two hits. After two farm starts, his ERA stands at 1.29. “I heard he got 12 outs via groundout or strikeout — that’s obviously a really good sign if that’s the case,” Yankee skipper Joe Girardi said. “You can assume he can go up about 15 pitches next time out.”
The real news, though, is that Pettitte's return to the majors may be in the offing. Mark Hale of the New York Post reports that Pettitte will need four more starts in the minors and then may be in line for a May 10 start in Yankee Stadium against the Rays.
This is welcome news for the Yankees, who rank 10th in the AL in rotation WAR. The main offender thus far has been Phil Hughes, who's lugging around an ERA of 9.00. Among Yankee starters, only Hiroki Kuroda has pitched well to date.