San Francisco @ New York preview
Yankee Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 21, 2013 ) San Francisco 0, NY Yankees 6
Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte have played vital roles in the New York Yankees’ run of 17 playoff appearances in the last 18 seasons. On Sunday, both players hope to aid one final postseason push when the Yankees attempt to complete a three-game sweep of the visiting San Francisco Giants. Rivera and Pettitte will retire at the end of the season, adding a bit of pressure on a team that is three games behind Cleveland in the American League wild-card chase with seven contests remaining.
The Yankees would like nothing more than if Rivera – who has saved 72 of Pettitte’s 255 career victories and will be honored in a ceremony before the game – gets the chance for No. 73 in Pettitte’s final regular-season home start. "It's like brothers; we came up with this organization at the same time and we're going out together," Rivera said of himself and Pettitte. The Giants are batting .206 and have been outscored 11-1 in this series after entering the set with victories in eight of their previous 11 contests.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, TBS, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco), YES (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants RH Yusmeiro Petit (4-0, 3.08 ERA) vs. Yankees LH Andy Pettitte (10-10, 3.93)
A bright spot in an otherwise dismal season for the Giants, Petit has guided the team to victories in five consecutive outings following Tuesday’s 8-5 triumph over the New York Mets. The 28-year-old gave up four runs over six frames in the contest and has yielded seven in his last two turns since pitching a one-hit shutout on Sept. 6 against Arizona. Petit, who already has set a career high in wins, is making his first interleague start.
Pettitte has posted a 3.30 ERA in 12 second-half starts but fell to 3-4 over that stretch with Tuesday’s 2-0 setback in Toronto despite permitting only one run on six hits over 6 2/3 innings. The three-time All-Star, who suffered his first defeat since Aug. 5, is 3-0 with a 3.38 ERA in his last six home outings. Pettitte, who is winless in three career starts versus the Giants, is facing San Francisco for the first time since 2005.
WALK-OFFS
1. With 436 career starts for the Yankees, Pettitte is two shy of tying Whitey Ford for the most in team history.
2. The Giants are 5-14 in interleague games this season.
3. New York LF Alfonso Soriano has 17 homers and 50 RBIs since being acquired on July 26 from the Chicago Cubs. Both totals are league-high marks over that span.
PREDICTION: Yankees 4, Giants 1