Andy Pettitte, A.J. Burnett Get Last Chance to Help Ease Yankees’ Pitching Apprehensions

On the surface, Saturday's doubleheader may not seem that important for the New York Yankees.

They'll tell you they want to win the division. Even more so, they'll make it known that they do indeed want homefield advantage in the playoffs.

But the fact of the matter is, neither of those really matter that much, especially to a veteran team like the Yankees. They know they're in. And they know they're capable of winning wherever. They've been down this road plenty of times before.

But, despite that, Saturday still looms as a pair of pretty big games. That's because it's the last regular season chance for two of the Yankees' biggest question marks to be answered.

Andy Pettitte and A.J. Burnett. Those are the two scheduled starters for the Yankees on Saturday. Both have questions looming over their head.

For Pettitte, he must prove that he's fully recovered from a groin injury that's nagged him all year. Actually, he doesn't even have to prove he's fully healthy. He just needs to prove that he can get by with whatever lingering effects it may be giving him, something he hasn't been able to do very well lately.

Since returning, Pettitte had a strong start against the lowly Orioles before being rocked against the Red Sox on Sept. 24 in the Bronx. In that start, Pettitte surrendered six runs on seven hits and couldn't escape the fourth inning.

There's a good chance the start was an anomaly, but that doesn't mean a strong start on Saturday afternoon wouldn't go a long way in restoring some faith in a team that has looked very, very human down the stretch.

The bigger question mark going Saturday would be Burnett. The righty continues to battle the inconsistency that has plagued him at times through his career, and those issues have never been as glaring as they are right now.

And those issues are coming at the worst possible time. To say Burnett had a forgettable month of September would be putting it way too nicely. He somehow managed a 2-4 record while posting a 6.14 ERA. He surrendered five home runs and walked 13 batters in only 29 1/3 innings of work.

Like Pettitte, if Burnett is able to come out and show signs of somewhat putting it together, it would be a nice start for the Yankees.

The Yankees need the pitching help. CC Sabathia is a horse. He's going to give you innings and they're going to be quality. But after that, there is uncertainty everywhere you look in the New York rotation.

And while Sabathia may be a horse, he can't run every race. If Andy Pettitte and A.J. Burnett are going to prove they can be relied upon, Saturday would be a pretty good time to start showing it.