Andy Pettitte, who's started only three games in the majors since June, is starting Monday night for the New York Yankees against the Baltimore Orioles in Game 2 of their Division Series. Here's the lineup that Buck Showalter has devised for this game the Orioles essentially must win if they're to have any real shot at winning the series.
1. Nate McLouth* - LF
2. J.J. Hardy - SS
3. Chris Davis* - RF
4. Adam Jones - CF
5. Matt Wieters# - C
6. Mark Reynolds - 1B
7. Jim Thome* - DH
8. Manny Machado - 3B
9. Robert Andino - 2B
You might wonder why the Orioles have three left-handed hitters in their lineup against a left-hander like Andy Pettitte. Well, actually Andy Pettitte isn't like most left-handers; he's got a smaller platoon split -- over the course of his long career, anyway -- than most left-handers. Probably because Pettitte doesn't rely overly much on his curveball; it's mostly fastballs and cutters and some change-ups.