What?
Yup. Burnett, who had been a walking loss for the past two months, faced a game the Yankees needed to win--more for their own psyches than for the standings--and did what he's supposed to do. That's a sight we haven't seen for quite some time.
But let's not go crazy: Burnett lasted 5.1 innings and left with the team behind. That was partially because the Yankees were trying to set new records for stranding men on base, and partially because Burnett just couldn't resist the temptation to give up a home run to Dustin Pedroia. He did not make it through the sixth, he did not dominate, he did not "turn his season around." Not yet.
The ongoing psychodrama that is A.J. Burnett continues. You still have no idea what you're going to get the next time he steps on the mound. But despite assurances before the Boston series that "we're not going to decide based on one start," you can bet that Phil Hughes is the current favorite to transfer to the bullpen if indeed the Yankees ever do whittle their starting rotation down to the standard five.
This, too, can change with one more good start from Hughes and another lousy one from Burnett. But you're likely to hear about how Hughes has come out of the pen before, how Burnett's stuff doesn't translate well to that role, and other blind justification.
Bet that Hughes will be a reliever before this month is over, and Burnett won't.
And hey: That Jesus Montero sure can get hit by a pitch, can't he? (Just kidding--we don't know what the kid can do yet.)
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