(Photo: Patrick Smith/AP)
It was the biggest game of his life. AJ Burnett needed to prove to the Yankees, the fans and the world that he was the guy that was worth his $82.5 million and pitch his heart out. Against the last place Orioles in Camden Yards, a park where there is usually more Yankee fans than Orioles fans, it was obvious for AJ, no pressure, just pitch and get the win. Obviously, after a quick 6 run deficit at 2 innings, the man crumbled before our eyes and now the writings on the wall... AJ will soon be gone. Read about the full mess HERE.
AJ's line was 5 innings pitched, he allowed 9 hits, 9 runs, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. Yes, it's true, Joe Girardi could have came out to the mound and said, "AJ, you allowed 6 runs, we're in a bad hole, give me the ball." But Girardi did the right thing tonight; Girardi did his best "You got us into this mess, you get us out." AJ didn't get us out of the mess. AJ Burnett shit the bed and believe me, if AJ didn't feel the pressure before, he does now. The deterioration of this one decent pitcher has never been more obvious than now. I hate to sound dramatic, but how else do you describe it... the guy can't pitch. Mentally, he can't keep his head in the game. He thinks too much, no focus and it is clear an overhaul is needed.
The Yankees defense was not too good tonight either. It must have been AJ's vibe that translated throw the clubhouse, who knows. There were 4 errors committed by the Yankees tonight. Pathetic.
Some of the Yankee offense was supplied by 3 home runs tonight, all solo shots by Jorge Posada, Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher who's been on a role as of late. ARod's homer was the first since June 11th. It's been awhile...maybe he can pick it up a bit now that he's back. Other than that, there wasn't much more, just a few other runs. Look it wasn't our night. Every time a pitcher can't hold down the competition, it's hard for a team to pick them up. True, Yesterday in the Bronx, it was a historic comeback hitting 3 Grand Slams and winning 22-9, but if it was that easy, we would have won tonight too. Bottom line, you can't win 162 games, but it's fun to try.
Final Score tonight: Orioles 12 - Yankees 5
A Quick Note: Mike Flanagan, a Baltimore Oriole and pitching great was found dead and it was determined a suicide this week. Read about it HERE. It's a sad story, but I wanted to at least
acknowledge a decent man and a great pitcher and his family is in our prayers.
In closing, with Hurricane Irene hitting the Tri-State area hitting tomorrow afternoon, who really knows if these teams will play, so we'll monitor the situation. BYB Headquarters is also on the East Coast so depending on the weather, we may or may not be able to give you updates and posts as they happen. We shall see. Keep checking BYB. Most importantly, if you're in the line of fire, stay safe.
Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.
Re: Flanagan..Yes, he was good pitcher and I remember him as that BUT I found what he did a VERY selfish act and to celebrate him is to be OK with his actions and I am not. I say this NOT to you but to the Orioles. How many people are hurting b/c of his selfishness? I feel bad for the people who are grieving b/c of this.
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