Andy Pettitte threw four innings and 55 pain-free pitches in his latest simulated game this afternoon, two days after doctors gave him the okay to begin running again. “I’m ready,” said the left-hander to reporters after today’s workout. “Can I give you 100 pitches? No. But I feel my stuff has been crisp … Just let me go out there and compete.”
The Yankees have already indicated a willingness to bring Pettitte back before he’s fully stretched out, and the guess here is that he will start next Tuesday’s game (they’re off on Monday) with David Phelps piggybacking out of the bullpen. That would allow Andy to make four starts between now and the end of the season, including Game 162. My original thought was that they would let him throw in one more simulated game, but if it’s the difference between three regular season starts and four, forget it.