Results tagged ‘ AJ Burnett ’
Tied for first after 10
Perhaps the one troubling thing about the first 10 games is Joe Girardi’s use of the bullpen. Of the four losses, I believe that 3 were caused by mismanagement of the bullpen. Of the six wins, there were signs of the same kind of thing. Last night was a perfect example. A.J. Burnett was done in the seventh inning. You could see he was gassed and he was well over 100 pitches. Why over extend him this early in the season? With his injury history, it just didn’t make sense. After giving up a double and home run and then walking the next hitter, he should have been gone. Girardi chose to leave him in and suddenly a five run lead was three after another two run homer. It’s this kind of managing that has already cost the Yankees a few losses and will cost them more. If and when they make the playoffs, this is what cost them last year and it needs to be corrected or it will cost them again this year. Early season statistics mean little, but I am sensing a trend here. It is a continuation of something I noticed last year and it is a deadly flaw in Girardi’s managing style.
3 straight losses and the sky still ain’t fallin’
So would it be nice if the Yankees had won 3 straight instead of losing three in a row? Absolutely. But guess what? Before this they won 8 straight, so that still makes them 8-3 over their last 11 games. I’ll take that every single time. And even if they manage to lose a season high 4th straight today, it still ain’t the end of the world. The Yankees will still have the best record in baseball and a real shot at repeating as World Champs.
Of course if you live in the NYC area, all you will be reading about is how the rotation is in trouble and Derek Jeter is fading fast. Both of these stories are way overblown. I expect Jeter will get a little rest down the stretch and bounce back just fine in the playoffs. And as for the rotation, Andy Pettite will be back soon and I expect that either Burnett or Vazquez will come around eventually. Hopefully it will be for the playoff run. So watch out for this team folks. They will be very dangerous come playoff time. Amid all the doom and gloom, the naysayers are forgetting about how important Lance Berkman and Kerry Wood can be down the stretch. Both are money players with loads of talent and just made this team that much harder to beat.
Burnett needs to get his act together
So the Yankees finally managed to claw their way into first and Burnett tried his damndest to give it away. Getting beat up by a putrid Arizona team is simply not acceptable. Everyone keeps saying his location is off. Well having poor location indicates a lack of concentration on his part. In my observation he just throws the ball up there and hopes for the best. Having proper location on your pitches has to do with concentration and repeating the proper delivery. These are two things that seem to be beyond his grasp. He just throws it up there without any idea of where it is going. I for one am tired of the excuses. He needs to get to work and correct the flaws in his delivery and then during the game, he needs to focus on each and every pitch. Enough is enough. He is getting paid way too much to pitch like this. I would rather see the Yankees bring up a rookie to take his spot until he gets his act together. At least the best starter at Triple A might give them a chance to get out of the first inning and still be in the game. Enough already!
Another Stinker by Burnett
While I am not nearly as down on this guy as most of the NY media, I do believe it is time he got his act together. My opinion is that Burnett’s problems are mental. It seems at times that he is just throwing the ball up there and hoping for the best instead of concentrating on executing every single pitch. I believe it is his mental approach that is the problem much more than anything physical. The fact that he failed to cover first base on a routine play is further evidence that he is not always mentally in the moment. He needs to start focusing on delivering every pitch instead of just throwing it up with a hope and a prayer. The old quote about ”I didn’t have any command tonight.” is getting very old. There is a reason why you didn’t have your command A.J. and it lies between your ears.
Time to wake up
Yesterday Boston did what the Yankees could not do last week. That is beat the Tampa Bay Rays. They beat them and beat them soundly, rather than be embarrassed by them at home like the yankees were. It’s time to stop looking at the injuries and start stepping up. There are a lot of players on this team that get paid a lot of money to produce. When the Yankees have needed them to step up, none of them have. That includes CC, AJ, Texeira, A-Rod, and Jeter. It’s time to put up or shut up boys. This is a critical series against a good Minnesota team. Toronto is only half a game back of the Yankees and Boston is only two behind while Tampa is still 5.5 games ahead. This team had better get their collective rear ends in gear or they will find themselves in fourth place within a week. Let’s see how they accept the challenge.
Rut
Not much to say about the last couple of games. Friday night was a yawner except for Jeter’s record breaking hit. Damaso Marte was horrible and it looks to me like his velocity is way down. He does not look like the same pitcher that came over from Pittsburgh last year. My guess is his shoulder is still hurt or weak. Saturday was another stinker by Burnett. Let’s hope he can get his act together before the playoffs. This team has been playing very well for a very long stretch and they were due for a couple of clunkers. Nothing to worry about, they will bounce back and finish strong. Should be a fun October.
Clunker by Burnett but Offense to the Rescue
A.J. Burnett stunk up the joint again. It’s time for him to extract his head from his posterior as his problems are all mental. It looked to me last night that he was not bearing down mentally. He was just throwing the ball up there with no confidence or conviction and with what the Yankees are paying him, they deserve a better effort. You can’t guarantee results, but you have to give it everything you’ve got every time out and I’m not convinced that Burnett did that last night. He obviously was struggling, but his concentration appeared to be off as well. And there is no excuse for failing to cover first base. It cost him any chance he might have had at getting a win. I expect more from him from here on out. Like I said, no guarantees for results, but I expect a better all around effort from him. On a positive note, the Yankees scored nine runs and hit five home runs and won the game despite Burnett. Great job in coming back twice to take this one. And great job by the bullpen. Good to see Damaso Marte back in the mix again. Let’s hope Burnett gets things figured out as the Yanks will need him at his best for the playoffs.
Rough Night for Hairston
Even before he booted the ball and ended Pettitte’s bid at a perfect game, it looked to me like Jerry Hairston Jr. was pressing a bit. In the half inning prior to his error, he struck out with runners on second and third and one out, failing to advance them or score them. He looked like he was a bit tense at the plate. I think being back in Baltimore was weighing on him a bit and he was trying a little too hard. What a game by Andy though. This is the best I have seen him and who knows what might have happened if he had taken that perfect game to the eighth like he should have. Regardless, he threw another gem and has looked very good lately. I’ll take anything close to this in the playoffs. Tonight it’s Burnett’s turn and let’s hope the bad luck last time out doesn’t affect his approach this time out. He needs to get it turned around and get back on the winning track this last month of the season. We’ll see, but he is too good to not be winning more games. On another note, looks like the sweep over the White Sox has ended their season. They dumped Jim Thome and Jose Contreras last night and let it be known that Jermaine Dye could have been had as well. And oh, by the way, Robbie Cano got another hit with RISP, I wonder if Pete Abe was watching. He certainly didn’t mention it in his blog. Interesting that he never fails to mention it when Cano fails, but when he succeeds, it doesn’t warrant a mention.
What a Waste
A.J. Burnett was dealing. No doubt about. 12 strikeouts in 6 innings and one bad pitch. The Yankees however couldn’t muster any offense and this one was wasted. Phil Coke allowing a three run shot was the nail in the coffin. I really don’t understand Girardi’s fascination with Coke. He has not impressed me most of the time. He almost always gives up a home run. He seems to be Girardi’s Scott Proctor. He was a pretty good starter, but as a reliever, he is pretty much hit or miss. You might get an innning out of him if you’re lucky, but more than likely he’s going to give up some runs. Having said that, it’s hard to win a 3 game series when you lose the first game and the Yankees were asking for trouble with that clunker on Tuesday. Texas is a pretty good team and this one just wasn’t to be. Again, not the end of the world as Boston lost too, so this actually works to the Yanks advantage as Texas picks up a game in the Wild Card standings. Now it’s the White Sox for the weekend, so let’s hope they can put this series behind them and pick things up a bit.
Bounceback Win
The Yankees did just as expected and bounced back after another awful outing by Joba Chamberlain and beat Texas 7-2. Andy Pettitte was solid as a rock as usual and gave the team exactly what they needed. Seven solid innings and another W was just what the Dr. ordered. Seems like Pettitte is always the guy to give them a win after a tough loss. He was dealing last night. Let’s hope Posada is not hurt seriously as he will get the day off today to rest that finger that he banged up. He is swinging a hot bat right now and is a streaky hitter, so now is not the time for him to have to miss games. Brian Bruney struggled again in the eighth and it looks like he has lost a bit of his swagger. He needs to attack the strike zone and let his stuff do the talking. Jerry Hairston Jr. had another solid performance giving Damon the night off and homering, as well as walking twice. What a pickup he has been. He can play every position except pitcher and catcher and is more than competent offensively. Today it’s Burnett going for another series win and I fully expect him to pitch much better than last time out in Boston. Of course that’s a pretty safe bet considering how bad he was that day. The team continues to play well and is a pleasure to watch. What a difference from the frustrating performances of the past couple of years.
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