Yankees survive complete game effort from Burnett
Last Updated: Saturday, August 30, 2008 | 4:13 AM ET
CBC Sports
Toronto Blue Jays A.J. Burnett took the loss against the New York Yankees on Friday, despite allowing just two earned runs in eight innings. (Kathy Willens/Associated Press)Despite a strong, complete-game performance from A.J. Burnett, the Toronto Blue Jays dropped a 2-1 decision to New York on Friday in what's increasingly looking like the team's final series ever in Yankee Stadium.
Burnett (16-10) allowed two runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts with a walk, but it wasn't enough as he lost for the first time in four starts this season against New York, and had his winning streak end at six decisions.
"I'm battling the best I could," Burnett said. "Just the one pitch where the first run scored that was not where I wanted it."
New York's Carlos Pavano was equal to the task on Friday in his first start at Yankee Stadium since opening day last year. Pavano threw just 72 pitches, but allowed one earned run on three hits with only one walk in six innings of work before turning the ball over to the New York bullpen.
"I asked for six innings and I got exactly what I asked for," Girardi said. "He did what he had to do. He went out there and he made pitches."
Closer Mariano Rivera pitched more than an inning on back-to-back days for the first time this season — recording the final five outs of the game to earn his 32nd save of the season. Rivera went 1 1/3 innings Thursday in New York's win against the Boston Red Sox.
"That was a win we had to have," he said. "All these remaining games, we're doing what we have to do."
For Pavano, who signed a four-year, $40-million deal with the Yankees in 2005, it was just his second start since his decision to have Tommy John surgery on his elbow in May 2007.
Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi each drove in a run for the Yankees in the fourth inning. Travis Snider scored Toronto's lone run in his major league debut on a Marco Scutaro single in the sixth.
Snider was called up to the Blue Jays after they dealt Fredericton native Matt Stairs to the Philadelphia Phillies earlier on Friday.
The loss drops the Blue Jays 10 games back of the Red Sox for the wildcard lead, while the Yankees also remain longshots at six games out. Given that the odds of both qualifying are even more astronomical, this weekend's visit to Yankee Stadium is likely the Jays' last.
Yankees strike in 4th inning
Neither team could break through against either starter until the fourth, after Johnny Damon led off the bottom half of the frame with a single that caught the foul line painted on the wall in right field.
Damon was nearly tagged out after a poor attempt to steal, but Joe Inglett couldn't hang on to the ball and the Yankees suddenly had a runner in scoring position.
New York went up 1-0 one batter latter, after Abreu smacked a double into the gap in left.
Abreu advanced to third on an infield single from Alex Rodriguez and then scored after Giambi hit a shallow fly ball into foul territory down the left field line.
As Burnett stumbled, Pavano continued to cruise through five innings.
The Yankees hurler had retired 12 straight batters with one out in the sixth inning before Snider, the Blue Jays' top hitting prospect, broke the streak with a ground-rule double to left-centre.
After collecting his first major-league hit, Snider scored his first run with the Blue Jays after Scutaro hit a clean single up the middle to draw Toronto to 2-1.
Toronto's best chance to level the score came in the eighth inning.
Rod Barajas doubled and Scott Rolen walked off New York reliever Jose Veras to led off the inning, but reliever Edwar Ramirez was brought in and struck out Snider for one out.
Ramirez then gave way to Rivera, who got Inglett to ground into a fielder's choice that sent the potential tying run to third.
Rivera calmly struck out Scutaro to end the threat and allowed just a single to Vernon Wells in the ninth to help the Yankees their eighth win of the season when scoring three runs or fewer.
"He was throwing strikes. That's what he does," Toronto's Alex Rios said of the All-Star closer. "That's why he gets people out."
The Blue Jays will look to regroup on Saturday afternoon as lefty John Parrish squares off with New York's Darrell Rasner (CBC, 1 p.m. ET).
The teams will then close their Yankee Stadium run with a marquee pitching matchup on Sunday (CBC, 1 p.m. ET) when Toronto ace Roy Halladay takes on 214-game winner and four-time World Series champion Andy Pettitte.
With files from the Associated Press
