Yankees win fifth straight with help from A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira
Mark Teixeira continued his assault on Oakland’s’ starting pitchers on Wednesday night, tallying three hits -- two of which drove in runs, as the Yankees defeated the A’s 4-3 in the Bronx.
Teixeira seemingly has the recipe for beating the A’s starting pitchers and has been a nightmare for Oakland since the series opened on Monday. In his first two games of the series, New York's first baseman posted five hits and four RBIs. Not much had changed on Wednesday's September opening, as he finished the game with three hits and three RBIs as he led the Yankees to their fifth straight victory.
Teixeira, who is batting .364 against the A's this season with an OPS of 1.356, was aided by A.J. Burnett and his solid pitching. Sensing that his spot in the rotation may have been in jeopardy after his one month slump, Burnett answered the challenge issued by his coaches and manager to play better and did just enough to earn his first victory in over a month.
"That's a personality win, in a sense," manager Joe Girardi said of Burnett, who hadn't earned a win since July 28 in Cleveland. "For him, it's a big win. It's a big win for us."
Burnett was back in form striking out eight batters over six innings and was charged with three runs on six hits. “It is a good win for me, but my numbers are not important. I'm trying to get some good momentum in this last month," said Burnett.
The Yankees got off to an early lead, scoring one run in the first inning and adding another three in the second frame. With New York spotting him a 4-0 lead after two innings, Burnett got the job done, despite yielding a two-run homer to Kevin Kouzmanoff in the fourth and a run in the fifth inning.
"A.J.’s a guy that we need, and we need him to pitch at a high level. It’s important we get him going," Girardi said.
The Yankees did not produce another run after their three-run second inning, but they didn’t need to. Their pitching and defence were stout and the A’s comeback efforts were futile.
Burnett (10-12) understands the importance of this victory in the very competitive American League East division. "It feels good to get a 'W,' but it's a 'W' that keeps the streak going," Burnett said. "We've got Tampa right there with us, Boston right there with us. Every win is huge," said the right-hander.
The win places the Yankees atop the AL East division and one game ahead of the second place Tampa Bay Rays.
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