New York Yankees to stick with A.J. Burnett
New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi has announced that he will stick with pitcher A.J. Burnett when his club meets the Texas Rangers in game four action at home on Tuesday 19 October.
The Yankees were not certain whether or not they would go with Burnett in game four, as they were willing to start CC Sabathia on four days rest. Nevertheless, the club has decided to stick with the veteran Burnett in game four.
Girardi explained the decision to start Burnett over Sabathia, saying.
"We set up our rotation for a number of reasons. We’re just staying with it. Phil Hughes has never thrown on short rest. We have Andy Pettitte, who is coming off an injury. There’s a lot of things that go into making up your rotation. We believe in A.J.
I know it’s been a tough year for him at times this year, but we believe in A.J.”
The Yankees switched around their rotation in order to give Phil Hughes the start in Texas in game two. However, the youngster was unsuccessful and the Rangers were able to pile on seven runs. The decision to start Hughes in Texas may also have been made
in order to give Pettitte the game three start against Rangers’ ace Cliff Lee.
Burnett struggled at the end of the season, making it seem as though he would not make a start in the play-offs unless it was necessary. The left-hander went an awful 4-13 in his final 21 outings of the season, with an ERA of 6.48.
The decisions to start Burnett likely hinged on the fact that the Yankees were able to win the opening game of the series and therefore are not feeling as much pressure headed into game four.
This season with New York, Burnett stumbled to a 10-15 record with a 5.26 ERA and 145 strikeouts.
Tags: