Andy Pettitte tries put a balky back behind him on Friday when the New York Yankees begin a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Pettitte had his last start skipped due to back spasms, but is 2-0 this season with a 1.20 ERA. The 40-year-old lefty threw around 40 pitches in a bullpen session on Tuesday and felt fine afterward.
"I feel good. It was a good decision," said Pettitte, who hasn't pitched since beating Cleveland on April 9. "I don't want to second guess anybody. I'll go Friday. It's not that big of an issue. Hopefully, I'll feel great Friday."
Pettitte has had tremendous success against the Blue Jays over the course of his career, going 22-13 with a 4.10 ERA in 44 games (43 starts). His 15 career wins in Toronto are his second-most in an opposing stadium, trailing only his 16 in Baltimore.
New York got some awful news on shortstop Derek Jeter on Thursday, then went out and dropped a 6-2 decision to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 12 innings. The Yankees had tied the game in the ninth on Francisco Cervelli's home run, but David Phelps surrendered four runs (3 earned) in the 12th to send New York to just its second loss in nine tries.
But, the news was far worse earlier in the day when the team learned that Jeter will remain sidelined until after the All- Star break after a CT scan revealed a crack in his surgically repaired left ankle.
"We just have to keep battling along like we have been," Phil Hughes said of Jeter.
Toronto, meanwhile, snapped a two-game losing streak on Thursday, as R.A. Dickey tossed six scoreless innings and Rajai Davis went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a run scored to lift the Blue Jays past the Chicago White Sox, 3-1.
Dickey (2-2) struck out seven while giving up just two hits and one walk to earn the win. Casey Janssen worked a perfect ninth to earn his fifth save of the season.
Dickey, though, exited with muscle tightness.
"I had a knuckleball tonight where I would have thrown a complete game," Dickey said. "So it was unfortunate that (the injury) acted up on me."
Edwin Encarnacion and Munenori Kawasaki also added one RBI apiece for the Blue Jays, who improved to 7-9 this season.
Hoping to keep the Blue Jays in the win column on Friday will be righty Brandon Morrow, who is 0-1 with a 4.60 ERA. Morrow did not get a decision on Sunday in Kansas City, despite a solid effort that saw him allow two runs and six hits in six innings of a 3-2 loss.
"It was a nice job pitching," Toronto manager John Gibbons said.
Morrow is 5-2 lifetime against the Yankees with a 3.68 ERA in 17 games (11 starts).
New York was 11-7 versus the Blue Jays last season.
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