Before I was even able to get in my house this evening, the Yankees had a 3-0 lead thanks to a couple of walks and a Tex Message. The sad part? I immediately said to myself: "The Dodgers shouldn't worry. A.J. Burnett is pitching." I really couldn't have been more right. Not only did we have to listen to Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, but they also shoved two of baseball's most obnoxious personalities in the booth: Reggie Jackson and Tommy Lasorda. Then, we were treated to a normal four hour game, and a fifth consecutive terrible game from A.J. Burnett.
Joe Girardi needs to be criticized for one thing in this game: leaving Burnett in. Early on, with the Yankees trailing 5-4 with runners on the corners and one out, he elected to let Burnett bat instead of sending up a pinch hitter in a sacrifice fly opportunity. Burnett laid down a bunt to put runners at second and third, and the 36-year-old shortstop struck out. Then, Burnett proceeds to allow the first two baserunners in the next inning to reach, and THEN Girardi pulls him. Gotta scratch my head on that one.
The Yankees had a couple of things on display today: some of the worst pitchers in the American League, and the weakest bench. A.J. Burnett, Boone Logan, and Chan Ho Park are completely atrocious. Burnett has been bad for a month, and Logan and Park can never give you a scoreless outing. Their bench is comprised primarily of four players: Kevin Russo, Chad Huffman, Colin Curtis, and Ramiro Pena. None of these four men are proven hitters, so in a National League park, other than a backup catcher, you don't have very many options to send up to bat.
I'm not complaining about one loss. For the most part, things in Yankeeland are positive. The team has won three of five on this West coast trip, and the team has a two game lead in the A.L. East. You never wish injuries on people, but the Red Sox suffered a bad blow today when it was announced that Dustin Pedroia has a broken bone in his foot. Clay Buchholz also hyper-extended his knee running the bases today in San Francisco and left the game after one inning (see Chien-Ming Wang, 2008). That being said, A.J. Burnett needs to get it together. I'm not a big proponent of removing a guy from the rotation, especially a head case like Burnett. But something needs to happen soon. Thank goodness the Yankees have him for three more full seasons after 2010.
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