[Alliteration for the win!]
For the first five innings, Allan James Burnett bumbled about.
“I didn’t have anything,” he said.
Handed leads of 3-1 and then 5-3, Burnett could maintain neither, and while he only walked two, he did surrender eleven hits. Eleven hits over nine innings would be a WHIP over 1.00 for the game; doing so over 5.1 is just plain bad.
On the postgame, Joe Girardi remarked, simply, that Burnett’s “stuff was flat. It wasn’t going downhill; it was flat.” That would seem an accurate assessment.
However, as much as Burnett struggled, the Yankees–who this season have been playing like a team and not an assortment of 25 individuals–were there to pick him up.
The offense was Bronx Bombing at its best: five home runs, from Robinson Canó (who’s hitting somewhere around .480 against Baltimore), Jorge Posada (who hit two, including one after he forgot the count and thought he had struck out!), Nick Swisher (whose home/road splits in the words of Girardi are “mind-boggling”), and Eric Hinske.
The Yankees were actually out-hit by the Orioles for the game, but Orioles pitching did walk eight, proving yet again that walks kill.
The other story of this game was the performance by the Yankees’ bullpen.
Damaso Marte, David Robertson, Phil Coke and Mariano Rivera combined to hold the Orioles scoreless for 3.2 innings.
Marte, since coming off of the DL where he has spent most of the season, has retired 10 of 11 batters faced. Though Phil Coke has pretty much taken the spot of ‘bullpen lefty’, Marte’s making a good case for inclusion on the postseason roster.
It’s quite funny to think that on the season the Yankees are 11-3 against the Orioles–and at one point, they were 0-2.
As of the second of September, the Orioles have been mathematically eliminated from contention in the American League East.
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15 Responses to Bombs and Bullpen back Burnett as Yanks Burn Baltimore
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TIQ IQ
Welcome aboard, Rebecca. I think the most important thing about this game besides Burnett’s continued struggles was Marte. He looks really sharp, and would be a huge asset in the postseason if he keeps this up.
Marte is getting out lefties and righties and I am really encouraged that he can be a major weapon in the bull pen, especially against Boston where we can have 2 lefties pitch to Ortiz late in the game and on a night with Pettitte pitching he would possibly be facing lefties all night until maybe Mo.
Great recap, Rebecca (and I love alliteration, even in losses!).
I’m still trying to figure out what A.J.’s deal is when he works with Posada. Why do they end up walking so many people? Burnett’s command was off, but that always seems to be the case whenever the two are paired together. Is it simply a coincidence? The season is almost over and I’m beginning to wonder if there’s a mental issue at play. Hmmm…
Eh. I think it’s overdone. When Burnett was on that incredible roll, Posada caught most of those games. I think this is much more AJ and much less Jorge.
I think today really had little to do with Posada and Burnett and more to do with Burnett just didn’t have even his C level stuff tonight and he knew it early and almost completely mentally checked out of the game.
Burnett walks people no matter who catches him. He has throughout his career. If he didn’t, he’d be as good as Halliday.
Today was less about command then just not having stuff, last week he didn’t have control but he still had sharper fastball than he had tonight and the curve was just plain flat with less break then I have seen in quite a few starts.
Yea he really didn’t have anything. One of the weirdest things about Burnett is that despite his fastball hitting 96-97 for him, it’s actually been below average, run-wise (this occurred in 2008, as well). He’s basically a two-pitch pitcher, so if any of his pitches aren’t on, he’s pretty much in for a long night.
He always has, it just seems pronounced with Posada. With Posada, Burnett seems to K no one and walk everyone. That’s the thing, although Burnett has walked people throughout his career, he has also struck out his fair share of batters. This year, his BB/9 is the highest it has been since 2003 while his K/9 is the lowest it has been since an injury-plagued 2006. He’s had a strange year.
Rebecca! Bienvenido!
All anyone has discussed is his struggles with RISP (which is flukey and often varies from year to year) but look at the season Cano is having. To get that kind of production from your 2B is pretty ridiculous.
BA-.320 HR-22 RBI-74 OBP-.350 SLG-.526
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=6204
Still could walk more, which only means the best is yet to come. If he did, his BA should go up as well because he should still get his hits, but be charged with less ABs. He walks another 30X per season (once a week) and we start talking about him as an MVP candidate (.340 hitter w/power). Twice a week and he’s a superstar (.360 hitter w/power).
“Bombs and Bullpen back Burnett as Yanks Burn Baltimore” ? I would have thought you would go with: “Bombs and Bullpen back Burnett as Bombers Burn Baltimore” ;-)
Love the site, first time in. This has probably been bantered already but last night during the game my boy Jr. calls me and says that Burnett reminds him of Kevin Browne. Now I tell him he is close but one thing I would never say about Browne is that he quit and sadly this is how I feel about AJ. Guys got a huge upside and everyone writes about his potential but sooner or later a guys head is make it or break it, and right now it is break. Now I am not saying he is a quitter all I am saying is that he seems to give up or sulk and next thing you know he centers a pitch and Luke Scott hits one that just landed at BWI this morning. He is the sore spot right now and somebody needs to take him out back and tell him about it, soon.
I really don’t see how you can say he is close to Brown? HE is a fastball knuckle curve pitcher with a different pitching motion than the sinker baller Kevin Brown.
It looks like right now Marte is now the first lefty out of the pen before Coke, although Coke did just fine when he did come in in the 8th.
He’s doing good since coming back and only allowed one walk as his only base runner since coming back, makes me wish he hasn’t tried to pitch through pain and told someone.