(Best E Casino) - Andy Pettitte tries to bounce back from one of the worst outings of his career this evening, when the New York Yankees play the rubber match of their three-game series with the Oakland Athletics at McAfee Coliseum.

Pettitte was roughed up by the lowly Kansas City Royals for 10 runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings on Saturday. Luckily though, the Yankee offense bailed him out and he did not get a decision in his team's 12-11 win that day.

He is 5-5 with a 4.99 earned run average on the season.

Pettitte, who will turn 36 on Sunday, has faced the A's 17 times in his career, posting an 8-5 mark against them while pitching to a 3.59 ERA. However, he is winless in his last four starts at McAfee.

After the Yankees received a terrific effort from Chien-Ming Wang to win the opener of this set, Oakland turned the tables on Wednesday. Justin Duchscherer threw seven strong innings and the Athletics scored six times in the third frame on the way to an 8-4 victory.

Jack Cust drove in three runs and Carlos Gonzalez doubled in a pair during the third, when Oakland put together six consecutive hits against Darrell Rasner. Kurt Suzuki had two hits and an RBI for the A's, who won for the sixth time in nine games.

Duchscherer (5-5) gave up five hits, including a second-inning homer to Jason Giambi, to win his second straight start. The righty fanned four and had just one walk in moving to 5-0 at home this season. Duchscherer retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced.

Giambi and Bobby Abreu each had two hits for the Yankees, who are back at .500 for the 23rd time this season.

Rasner (3-4) dropped his fourth consecutive start by allowing nine hits and a career-high seven runs -- six earned -- over 3 2/3 innings.

Heading to the hill for the A's tonight will be right-hander Joe Blanton, who is 3-8 with a 4.15 ERA. Blanton lost his second straight start Friday against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, as he allowed three runs (2 earned) and seven hits in seven innings.

Blanton, who has just one win over his last seven starts, is 0-2 lifetime against the Yanks with a 9.39 ERA in three starts.

Oakland won four of its six matchups with the Yankees last season and is 11-6 against them since the start of the 2006 campaign, including a 5-3 mark at home in that span.