Yankees vs. Tigers: Joe Girardi's A.J. Burnett Comments Will Ruin Game 4

The New York Yankees season comes down to one game tonight against the Detroit Tigers, and Joe Girardi's conflicting comments on pitcher A.J. Burnett have already given us the outcome for the Game 4. 

Burnett has struggled quite a bit this year, and he's been the subject of many jokes when discussing the Yankees. He needs to have his confidence built up before pitching tonight, but Girardi certainly isn't helping. 

ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted what Girardi said after the Yankees lost Game 3 on Monday night.

That's great, because Burnett needs to know his coaches and teammates believe in him tonight. Burnett is 11-11 on the year with an ERA of 5.15 and 173 strikeouts. He had a terrible August and a subpar September, which is why many are predicting the Yankees to lose tonight. His ERA in the month of August was just under 12, which is downright awful. 

So yes, that comment by Girardi was perfect. A manager is supposed to feel good about his decisions, and even if he doesn't, he's not going to say anything about it. The problem here is that Girardi later told reporters that, "I could have a very short leash [on him]" (Per ESPN).

This is an absolute no-no on Girardi's part because now Burnett will be thinking way too much when he's on the mound. If he walks a couple of guys or gives up some runs early on, then his confidence will be well below zero.

Burnett needs to just pitch and not think, but these contradicting comments from his manager don't help at all. 

The media can have a huge impact on how a player performs, and everybody know how brutal people can be in New York. 

The Yankees better hope their hitters find a way to come through tonight, because Girardi already ruined their pitcher. Who knows if their stars will deliver tonight, though, because some of them have been struggling. Alex Rodriguez doesn't have a hit in 10 at-bats, and Mark Teixeira only has one hit in 11 at-bats. Both of these guys are better than that, and if they don't step it up tonight, you can't place the entire blame on Burnett.

We know that Burnett will struggle tonight, and he's likely to only pitch five innings because his coach's comments will be his demise in Game 4. And this is exactly why the hitters have to be clutch at Detroit tonight.