New York @ Toronto preview
Rogers Centre
Last Meeting ( Jun 4, 2010 ) NY Yankees 1, Toronto 6
Ricky Romero has established himself as one of the American League's premier left-handed starters.
His opponent Saturday has been on that list for the majority of his illustrious career.
Romero will tangle with Andy Pettitte, who is looking for his 200th victory in a New York Yankees uniform as he leads the club into the second of a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays.
After a solid rookie season that saw him go 13-9 with a 4.30 ERA, Romero (5-2) has been even more impressive in 2010. The 25-year-old sports an impressive 3.14 ERA so far this season, and is among the American League leaders with 79 strikeouts in 77 1/3 innings.
His last outing was particularly solid, as he went the distance on a six-hitter in Toronto's 6-1 triumph over the Baltimore Orioles. Romero struck out seven and walked just one in the game en route to his second complete game of the campaign.
Toronto opened the weekend set with a 6-1 victory Friday night in its first meeting with the Yankees this season. Jose Bautista ripped a pair of home runs to increase his major league-leading total to 18, while Edwin Encarnacion also went deep in support of starter Brett Cecil, who threw eight solid innings to improve to 6-2.
The Blue Jays should expect a much tougher test Saturday against Pettitte (7-1), who is off to one of the fastest starts of his major-league career. The 36-year-old has won four of his last five decisions, and can become the American League's third eight-game winner with a victory over Toronto.
Pettitte was masterful in his previous start, throwing four-hit ball over seven innings of a 11-2 drubbing of the Cleveland Indians. He hasn't walked a batter in his last two starts, and has two runs or fewer in eight of 10 outings so far.
Pettitte has 199 career victories in Yankee pinstripes, where he has spent the majority of his career. A 22nd-round pick of the Yankees in 1990, Pettitte has carved out a Hall of Fame career with the Bronx Bombers, reaching the 20-win plateau twice while never posting a record below .500 in any of his 16 major-league seasons.
Pettitte has made the Rogers Centre his second home over his career, going 15-5 there with a 3.89 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) all-time. Baltimore's Camden Yards is the only visiting park to yield more victories to Pettitte, who is 236-136 all-time with the Yankees and Houston Astros.
The New York offense hopes to improve upon Friday's dismal showing. The Yankees managed just five hits in the series opener, their only run of the game scoring on a Nick Swisher double-play groundout in the top of the sixth inning.