By: Tyler Ward
After experiencing two heartfelt losses in Bob Sheppard and George Steinbrenner, the Yankees went out and won their first game since the passing of the two legends. Unfortunately, A.J. Burnett could not handle the potent Rays offense on Saturday.
Burnett cut his hand after throwing a tantrum in the clubhouse, slamming a set of double doors in frustration. Tampa's Reid Brignac hit his first of two home runs to give the Rays a 3-0 lead and Burnett's day was ended on that note.
"I think the moral is just the fact that I let these guys down in a game where we weren't out of the game early against a good team that's right behind us in second place. I was embarrassed of the whole situation and that's why once I calmed down I realized that, I'm an honest person so I don't need to make up a lie to hide something," Burnett said.
He said that he would throw a bullpen session in two days and is scheduled to make his next start. He also said that the cuts on his hand does not affect the way he throws the ball. Burnett initially told the Yankees' trainer, Steve Donohue, that he fell but later elaborated on the story after he had time to cool down.
The media asked manager Joe Girardi if Burnett would be disciplined for his actions and Girardi said, "We have taken care of everything and will move forward."Yankees fans were hoping that the team could pull off a win after Steinbrenner's body was laid to rest earlier in the day. Unfortunately, it was not the case.
Early in the first inning, Burnett gave up a double to Carlos Pena, which scored Evan Longoria. The Yankees would not score any runs in the first, and it would only get worse for Burnett from there. After hitting Jason Bartlett with a pitch, Brignac came up to bat and he would make sure Burnett would regret his decision. Bartlett stole second base and Brignac proceeded to blast a 375-foot home run to the shortened right field.
New York would escape any further damage in the inning. In the bottom of the second, Rays pitcher Jeff Niemann would serve up a single to Brett Gardner, scoring All-Star Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson. After two innings, the Rays were still leading 3-2, but they weren't quite done yet, and neither was Burnett.
Evan Longoria led off the third inning, only to be hit by Burnett for his second hit batter of the game. Longoria would then advance to second on a Burnett wild pitch. Pena would be up to bat again, hitting a single to center and driving in Longoria in the process. After getting the remaining three outs, Burnett was pulled for relief pitcher Dustin Moseley.
Additionally, Burnett said after the game, "I think Joe (Girardi) thought it was affecting the way I was holding the ball. I think it affected me differently. When you snap like that your emotions go in the wrong direction. In my mind I came out because I was terrible today."
The fifth inning got even worse for the Yankees, if it could be imagined. After surrendering a leadoff walk to Matt Joyce, catcher John Jaso singled to right with Joyce advancing to third. Potential trade option B.J. Upton hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Joyce, giving the Rays a 5-2 lead. The next batter, Brignac, who had already belted a home run earlier in the game, hit a three-run home run, which drove in Jaso and Bartlett. This effectively ended Moseley's day after he pitched three innings and giving up four runs.
In the bottom of the inning, New York's Mark Teixeira hit a solo shot, but they were still down 8-3.
Chad Gaudin relieved Moseley before the sixth inning and he wouldn't fare that well either. After giving up a leadoff double to Longoria, he reached third on a Carlos Pena infield single. Later in the inning, Jaso hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Longoria.
Longtime Yankee Jorge Posada homered in the bottom of the inning to give him his 11th home run of the year.
For the seventh inning stretch, the Yankees played a video honoring their longtime announcer, Bob Sheppard, who died last Sunday at the age of 99. The video played "Let Me Call You Sweetheart", a Mother's Day tradition at Yankee Stadium.
Pena led off the eighth inning with a solo shot to give the Rays a 10-4 lead, but the Yankees would then get three consecutive outs to end the inning. The Yankees would get one more run in the bottom of the ninth off of Alex Rodriguez's ground rule double.
The Rays ended up winning the game 10-5 and are now only two games behind the Yankees for the AL East division lead. Rays pitcher Jeff Niemann (8-2) pitched a solid 6 1/3 innings, but gave up four runs on six hits.
Burnett had his shortest outing of the year, pitching two innings and giving up four runs on four hits, while hitting two batters. This puts Burnett at 7-8 on the year and he is the only Yankees starting pitcher below .500.
