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Ken Davidoff on what might be the last, best hope for Yankee-haters ...

Please don't tell my competitors, but barring some other stunning news, my column for tomorrow's Newsday will cover Andy Pettitte's shoulder "fatigue."

Weren't we just talking yesterday about the baseball playoffs rewarding the hottest teams, rather than the best teams? Perfect example. Pettitte is scheduled to pitch again on Monday, after skipping his turn tomorrow night, so let's see how that plays out.

There's no doubt that the Yankees' starting pitching has to be a major concern right now, when you factor in A.J. Burnett's inconsistency and Joba Chamberlain's rawness. At this point, you could argue that you'd rather have the Red Sox's starting rotation, or the Angels'. On the positive side, the Yankees' lineup and bullpen are probably supreme among the AL playoff clubs.

Burnett is a fine No. 3 starter. Inconsistent? Sure. More to the point, he just hasn't pitched all that well this season. In his three seasons as a Blue Jay, Burnett posted a 3.94 ERA and a 2.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Those are the numbers of a solid No. 2 starter in a pretty good rotation. This year, his ERA is 4.33 and his strikeout-to-walk ratio 1.92, with both figures his worst since he was a young Marlin. His strikeouts are down and -- most disturbing if you're actually watching him every five days -- he's leading the league in both walks and wild pitches (and he's plunked a bunch of guys, too).

As a No. 3 guy, though? No problem. The Yankees are 18-11 in his 29 starts.

He wouldn't be the worst No. 2 starter in postseason history. But that's not really the issue, is it? If Pettitte can't pitch, everybody moves up a slot: Burnett to No. 2, Chamberlain (gasp!) to No. 3, and Sergio Mitre (double-gasp) to No. 4. And suddenly you've three American League teams feeling a lot better about their shot at going to the World Series. Not to mention one team feeling a lot worse.

Pettitte will probably be fine. He's always answered the bell in October. But if you're looking for a chink in the Yankee armor, this is probably the biggest you'll find at the moment.