A.J. Burnett Gets Yankees Back in Win Column

After the Yankee bullpen was forced to pitch seven innings Monday night (Nick Swisher included), A.J. Burnett said he wanted to give the team six or seven strong frames Tuesday.

How about eight?

Burnett took a no-hitter into the seventh and allowed just three base runners while striking out nine to stop a two-game losing streak for the second time this season.

Here are the grades from New York's 7-2 win at Tampa Bay.

Joe Girardi, Manager: (A-) 

Girardi rightfully let Burnett pitch the eighth despite having 93 pitches entering the inning, but the skipper continues to under-utilize the bunt.  

With a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth, Ramiro Pena led off with a walk.  Instead of having the light-hitting Jose Molina lay down a sacrifice, the manager put on the hit-and-run and the catcher promptly lined into a double play.  I usually don't mind a hit-and-run, but with no outs, the safer play would've been a bunt.

After Brett Gardner led off the eighth in a tie game with a double, it became a must-bunt situation for Derek Jeter.  He squared around on the first pitch but pulled the bat back to take a ball.  With the cat out of the bag, Girardi did his typical double reverse and took the bunt off.  

I never understand this.  Even if you tell the other team you're sacrificing, it's still very difficult for them to get the lead runner.  Luckily, the Captain is great and he advanced Gardner with a base hit anyway.

In the ninth, Pena came to the plate with runners on first and second and no one out with a 3-2 lead.  He failed in his first two bunt attempts and Girardi should have kept the play on with two strikes because it's tough for a batter to switch his mindset back to hitting in that situation.  The rookie wound up flying out, but Robinson Cano still should've advanced to third on the play had he not been asleep at the wheel.

Brett Gardner, CF: (A+)

Gardner had the biggest hit of the game when he doubled home an insurance run with two outs in the ninth to make it 4-2.  Twice, the Rays outfield underestimated his power and twice, Gardner made them pay with extra-base hits.  The center fielder was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and is really developing into a dangerous lead-off hitter.

Derek Jeter, SS: (A+) 

This is why he's a first ballot Hall-of-Famer.  The Captain came up clutch two times in this game.  First, with the opposite-field single in the eighth and then again with a three-run homer to seal the victory in the ninth.

Mark Teixeira, 1B: (B) 

Tex was 0-for-3 but had the game-winning RBI with a sac fly in the eighth.  He also walked.

Nick Swisher, LF: (A) 

I don't have my entire foot in my mouth, but I'm tasting at least two toes right now.  I didn't like picking up the league's worst hitter this past winter, but Swisher has started 2009 red hot.  He tallied up his fourth homer and fourth double of the young season Tuesday night and is now batting .458.

Jorge Posada, DH: (C) 

Posada was 0-for-3 but managed a sacrifice fly.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (C-) 

Cano was 1-for-4 with a run scored but he made another mental mistake in the ninth when he failed to advance on Pena's fly ball to deep left center.  Cano didn't need to go halfway on the play because he would've scored easily had the ball fallen in the gap.

Xavier Nady, RF: (A-) 

Nady was 1-for-3 with a strikeout

Ramiro Pena, 3B: (D+) 

Starting in place of the slumping Cody Ransom, Pena went 0-for-3 with a walk and left three men on base.  He also failed to get down a bunt in the ninth.

Jose Molina, C: (D+) 

Molina was useless at the plate going 0-for-4 with two Ks and four LOB, but the catcher handled Burnett perfectly and made a terrific snap throw to first to get Carlos Pena in the seventh.

Melky Cabrera, RF: (C+) 

Cabrera entered for defensive purposes in the eighth and then picked up a single and scored in the ninth.

A.J. Burnett, SP: (A+) 

Burnett is the Yankees' MVP through eight games.  He's 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA.

Brian Bruney, RP: (A+) 

Because closers are contractually banned to enter five-run games, Mariano Rivera sat down after Jeter's homer and Bruney entered instead to pitch the bottom of the ninth.  He was perfect, striking out all three batters he faced.

Yankees Overall Grade: (A) 

That was a great win.  The Yanks got nearly flawless pitching and timely hitting to even the series with Tampa Bay.

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at [e-mail]