Pettitte to come off DL Thursday

[WebHamster]

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Houston Astros pitcher Andy Pettitte is expected to come off the 15-day disabled list to start Thursday afternoon's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Pettitte has been on the DL since April 7 with a strained left elbow. His injury occurred while trying to check his swing in his debut with the Astros on April 6 against San Francisco. The 31-year-old lefthander gave up six runs on 11 hits over 5 1/3 innings during the 7-5 loss to the Giants.

A native of the Houston area, Pettitte was signed by the Astros in the offseason after spending the first nine seasons of his career in a Yankee uniform. He went 21-8 with a 4.02 ERA in 33 starts last season. Pettitte signed a three-year deal worth $31.5 million with the Astros and was later joined by former Yankee teammate and another Houston native in Roger Clemens.