The lesson of A.J. Burnett and Rick Porcello

Pitching in an elimination game Tuesday,
A.J. Burnett got the job done for the Yankees.

I was driving around Mankato Tuesday evening running errands and listening to the static that accompanied ESPN Radio's pregame for the Yankees-Tigers game. Somebody -- I think it was Dan Schulman -- described the pitching matchup more or less thusly:

An inconsistent, frustrating 30-something .500 pitcher and a young nibbler.

If all you know about baseball comes from the cliches of Dan Gladden and Dick Bremer, that doesn't make sense. It's the young guys who are supposed to be talented but frustratingly inconsistent, and the old pros who fall back on their guile.

But the description is accurate. A.J. Burnett, age 34, has a wonderful arm but pitches seemingly without a clue -- a right-handed version of Francisco Liriano, right down to the ugly high-walk no-hitter.

In his three seasons to date with the Yankees, Burnett has led the league in wild pitches twice, in hit batters once, has averaged four walks per nine innings and has an ERA of 4.79, which is roughly a full run per game higher than he had in his time with Florida and Toronto. Had it not been for the series-opening rain delay, he would not have been entrusted with a start in this series. And he has two more seasons left to run on contract, at more than $16 million a year.

Then there's Rick Porcello, 23, who was far more highly regarded when he was coming out of high school than he is now. Considered a top-three talent in the 2007 draft, he fell to the Tigers late in the first round (one pick before the Twins tabbed Ben Revere) because of his bonus demands. Porcello made the majors in 2008 and has been, basically, the kind of pitcher we've come to associate with the Twins -- a sinker-slider guy with a low walk rate and a low strikeout rate. (Unlike most of the Twins "sinkerballers," Porcello actually does get ground balls.) Detroit signed him anticipating a future ace; he's a reliable change-up, at least, away from that status.

The Yankee lineup loves facing that kind of pitcher. That's been at the heart of the Twins' head-to-head problems with the Yanks -- the Minnesota starters don't miss bats, and the New York hitters can spoil the good pitches and wait for the mistakes.

And so it went Tuesday night. Burnett survived his wildness in the first inning, then found the release point for his curve ball and got the Yanks into the sixth inning with just one run allowed.

Porcello? He got one more out than Burnett did, walked three fewer, struck out two more -- and surrendered three more runs.

It was a one-game object lesson in the value of stuff over command. It's not a lesson I particularly like -- watching Burnett or Liriano in aimless mode is painful for a fan -- but it's real anyway.

Burnett is 34. If Porcello doesn't find a way to miss bats, he won't last as long as Burnett has.

Series-ous pitching choices

One thing I've found to admire in Joe Girardi's handling of the Yankees this postseason is his willingness to drop the hammer.

Two-inning save from Mariano Rivera? Done that. Strip the two weak links from his rotation and go with three starters? Doing that.

He was aided in this plan by the TV-driven schedule, which has given the Yankees more days off than games played (the fact that the Yankees cleaned up the Twins and Angels in quick fashion helped too). He was also aided by the fact that nobody seriously questions the use of CC Sabathia on three days rest. The man's an obvious horse with a track record of short-rest success.

Now, however, Girardi — for the first time — has to push A.J. Burnett (above) and Andy Pettitte. And the result with Burnett on Monday was not good.

But it was justifiable:

1) The old-school pitchers from the '60s and '70s heyday of the four-man rotation generally agree that three days rest may detract from velocity but sharpens control. Burnett has had a season-long issue with wildness — remember, he led the AL in walks and wild pitches and was among the leaders in hit batters — and he was out of control Monday. It happens.

2) Burnett had a good, if small, track record on three days rest: 4-0, 2.33 in four starts.

A good decision; it just didn't work.

Now it's Pettitte's turn, and his record on short rest isn't quite so good: 4-6, 4.15. The ERA isn't out of line with his career stats, and this is still a tolerable decision.

---
Meanwhile, Charlie Manuel has his own decisions to make.

*Can he trust Cole Hamels in a Game 7?

*Should he start J.A. Happ on Wednesday (Game 6) and save Pedro Martinez for Game 7?

* Can he use Brad Lidge to close a game after Sunday's disaster?

Pedro, by reputation, prospers on long rest. The career numbers don't really bear that out, however, and this year's numbers are too skimpy to put any weight on.

Hamels has not fared well this postseason. The stat mavens suggest it's been tough luck, that the key ratios of walks, strikeouts and innings are all in line with last year. Luck or bad pitching, it's added up to a lot of opposition runs.

There's there's his now notorious quote after Game 3: "I can't wait for it to end. It's been mentally draining. At year's end, you just can't wait for a fresh start."

My guess is that Manuel will go with Pedro on Wednesday and Hamels on Thursday if needed. Hamels did it for him last year. And off Monday's pitcher use, I expect Ryan Madson to get the ball late — but at this point, it's all hands on deck for the Phillies.

Wild thing and poll result

The Twins, with all their pitching problems, continue to exhibit the best control in baseball.

Entering Sunday's play, the Twins had walked just 323 batters, the fewest in baseball. Their 31 wild pitches were in the bottom third.

Then there's A.J. Burnett (right), the Yankees' $82.5 million man.

Burnett has had four games with three wild pitches this season. (Two of them have come against the Twins; the Yankees, of course, won both games.) He could easily have had a fourth wild pitch in his last start, but a fast ball that eluded Jorge Posada hit the home-plate up smack in the chest protector.

He leads the AL in walks (73) and wild pitches (17) and tied for second in hit batters. He's also 15th in ERA.

Call him the anti-Twin.

Poll results: Thirteen voted in the "who to lop from the rotation" question, with multiple answers permitted.

Six wanted Francisco Liriano out; six wanted Glen Perkins out (the question was posted before Perkins went on the DL); four wanted Anthony Swarzak to sit down; and three clicked on "why stop there," probably with Nick Blackburn in mind.

New poll up