The Yankees closed out a series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the most dramatic fashion you can think of.  The final game of the series was filled with struggles, but the Yankees proved why they led the league last year in come-from-behind wins.

The great Andy Pettitte proved that he was human yesterday.  He struggled very badly and was only able to pitch through five innings.  In those innings he gave up six hits and five runs (four of them earned) and only struck out five.  That unearned run came from a throwing error that he made to third base.

“With the bad throws in that inning, I gave them three runs in that inning, and that was hard to swallow,” says Pettitte.  “I scuffled with my mechanics a little bit, but other than that I felt good.  You go from really frustrated, having a chance to win the series, I just feel I gave the win to them.”

Clayton Kershaw pitched a great game for the Dodgers.  He lasted seven innings and gave up just four hits and two runs.  Those runs came off a two-run home run to Alex Rodriguez.

Just when the Dodgers thought they had this series, the closer Jonathan Broxton gave up four runs to let the Yankees tie the game.  Once again, the Yankees rookies were the stars of clutch hitting the the Yankees victory.  Chad Huffman collected his first two career RBI to make the game 6-5 Dodgers and then Colin Curtis hit  and RBI groundout to first base to tie the game up.  In the top of the 10th inning, Robinson Cano hit a two run home run to make the game 8-6 Yankees which would be the final score of the game.

“What a great win for us.  What a come back,” says Andy Pettitte.  “To be able to do what we did in the ninth inning against their closer, it was fun to watch.  Our guys were fired up and it was a good win for us.”

“It shows what kind of team we’ve got,” says rookie Chad Huffman.  “We showed a lot of character tonight.  You just go up there and try to find a good pitch to hit.  When you get something good to hit you drive it.”

Tonight the Yankees have another edition of Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN, this time vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers.  I’m expecting a full-out pitchers deul this evening.

Andy Pettitte takes the mound for the New York Yankees.  So far this season he is 9-2 with a 2.48 ERA.  As we are always reminded, Pettitte is trying to keep going what is one of his best starts to a season in his career.  He has consistenlty pitched through the seventh inning in each of his last six starts and looks to continue that tonight, or possibly go further.  In his career against the Dodgers he is 2-0 with a 3.33 ERA in four starts.  The last time Pettitte faced them was in 2006.

Pettitte is coming off a fantatic start against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Yankees fans consider Pettitte’s win on June 22 payback for the 2001 World Series.  He pitched seven innings and gave up seven hits and only two runs.  He also struck out seven.  Pettitte also had a nice night at the plate by getting a single.  I bring this up because we are still in a National League park.

When Clayton Kershaw pitched on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, he had a one-hitter going through five innings.  He then gave up a three run home run to Bobby Abreu.  A few walks led up to that home run, a category Kershaw leads the National League in.  Before that game he has won six of his last seven starts.

The New York Yankees finish inter league play in LA facing off with there former manager and the Dodgers. The Yankees who have surged ahead in the AL East buy 2  games are hoping to extend that lead and perhaps stick it to there former manager Joe Torre in the process. Torre who is believed buy many to be one of the greatest Yankee managers of all times lefty under stormy conditions after the 2007 season. Tore had lead the Yankees to 4 World championships early in his tenure as Yankees manager but from 2001 till he left the Yankees always seemed to fall embarrassingly short of there world series goals. Torre was offered a contract at lesser pay buy the Yankees that he flat out turned down before he left and many believe that Tore felt unjustly blamed for the Yankees playoff failures over the past years. New manager Joe Gerardi in his first season completely missed the playoffs but in only his second year he managed the Yankees back to the promised land and to their 27th World title as well. It’s hard to say weather the Yankees managed to do this because Tore had left or simply because they finally had managed to shake some of there past playoff demons. Regardless off all this It’s quite obvious that several of the Yankees still love and respect there former manager so it’s likely to be a surreal moment for them to look across the field and see Torre siting in another dugout dressed in Dodger blue.

(45-27)	NY Yankees 45-27 (Road: 20-17) 10:10pm ET LA Dodgers 39-33 (Home: 23-13) TV: YES, FSPT	(39-33)