Burnett bombed, Yankees fall hard

A.J. Burnett did not provide the boost the Yankees needed in the opening game of a three-game series against the White Sox. He was hit hard for nine runs, eight earned, and exited with one out in the fourth, as the Yankees were defeated 9-4.

Best of All: Nick Swisher had a two-run homer and a double. He also airmailed a throw to home plate, which forced a laugh out of me despite the Yankees getting romped.

Worst of All: Burnett is obviously the major cause for concern. The Star-Ledger reports his spot in the rotation may not be completely secure, as Joe Girardi said “we’ll evaluate after this weekend where we are and what we need to do.”

Derek Jeter went 0-for-4 with a groundout, strikeout, fly out and double play. But he wasn’t the only one; Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada each went 0-for-4 as well.

Coming Up: The Yankees play Saturday night at 7 p.m. with their ace on the mound and then 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

Hughes leads romp of White Sox

When Brett Gardner homers, you know it’s a blowout.

Six Yankees (16-8) had multi-hit games and five had multi-RBI games in a 12-3 thumping of the White Sox (10-15). Mark Teixeira, the man who shouldn’t start anymore games in April, collected four of the Yankees’ 16 hits and Phil Hughes, the man who has allowed 10 hits in 25 innings this year, threw a gem.

Quick ‘Cap:
Hughes struck out six and allowed four hits and a walk in seven shutout innings to earn his third win in four starts. Teixeira’s two-run double highlighted a five-run seventh inning. Nick Johnson also had a two-run double in the frame, collecting his first RBIs since April 17.

Gardner’s homer off Mark Buehrle came in the fourth inning and Robinson Cano’s three-run homer landed in the right-field seats an inning later. Just for kicks: The Yankees have outscored their opponents 37-10 in the four games Gardner has homered.

Mark Melancon made his season debut and allowed a three-run bomb to the major league leader in home runs, Paul Konerko. Curtis Granderson was officially placed on the DL and Alex Rodriguez sat out his first game of the year. White Sox-Yankees box score.

Thoughts:
A shutout would’ve been the only thing to make today any sweeter. Watching the Yankees crank out 16 hits and Hughes pitching in total control was pure bliss.

Line of the Day:
Teixeira: 4-for-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI. I was serious before. He should just be benched for April in the future. He’s up to .189 BA.

Up Next:
The Yankees stay at home this week to host the Orioles, who are coming off a three-game sweep of the slumping Red Sox.

A bad, bad day in The Bronx

I’m glad I wasn’t at the stadium to see this one.

Javier Vazquez was awful yet again, Curtis Granderson injured his groin in the sixth and the Yankees’ bullpen blew a 6-5 lead in the seventh. The White Sox (10-14) beat the Yankees (15-8) 7-6.

Quick ‘Cap:
Nick Swisher’s two-run shot in the sixth capped a four-run rally to take a 6-5 lead. In the seventh, David Robertson relieved Sergio Mitre, who pitched a brilliant three innings in relief of Vazquez. Robertson didn’t last long after allowing two to get on, and then Damaso Marte came in to give up the game-winning two-run double to A.J. Pierzynski.

Vazquez allowed three homers in three-plus innings: two solo shots to Andruw Jones and a two-run homer to Mark Kotsay. His 9.00 ERA went up to 9.78 after exiting.

Granderson injured his groin while running the bases on Brett Gardner’s RBI single in the sixth. It’s likely Granderson will head to the 15-day DL. The only positive from this game: Mark Teixeira collected two hits. It’s finally May, folks. White Sox-Yankees box score.

Thoughts:
The Yankees have the option to skip Vazquez’s spot in the rotation next time around because of an off day, and I think they should. He needs some extra time to work out the kinks, like getting his fastball velocity back and fixing his mechanics. Losing Granderson is a tough blow, but the offense won’t sink too much, but the outfield defense will.

Line of the Day:
Mitre: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, K. Maybe he replaces Vazquez in the rotation at some point this year?

Up Next:
The rubber match is set for a 1 p.m. start tomorrow in The Bronx.

White Sox-Yankees series preview

With Robinson Cano playing like he’s on top of the world, it’s hard to imagine the Yankees (14-7) losing, even though they’ll be facing two left-handers against the White Sox (9-13) this weekend.

Both of Cano’s homers and his double off the wall yesterday came off southpaws, proving it doesn’t matter what type of pitcher is on the mound. (Although, he’s never faced a switch-pitcher before.)

But Cano wasn’t the only guy to homer twice yesterday. White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko had a pair of jacks yesterday, giving him the league lead with 10.

Pitching Matchups:

Date:	White Sox starters	Yankees starters
Fri., 7:05 p.m.	Freddy Garcia (0-2, 5.82)	Andy Pettitte (3-0, 1.29)
Sat., 1:05 p.m.	John Danks (3-0, 1.55)	Javier Vazquez (1-3, 9.00)
Sun., 7:05 p.m.	Mark Buehrle (2-3, 4.68)	Phil Hughes (2-0, 2.00)

Players to Watch:
White Sox: Konerko. He’s by far the most productive player on the White Sox. His .292 batting average, 10 homers and 18 RBIs all lead the team.

Yankees: Javier Vazquez. He’ll be facing his former team on Saturday afternoon. Manager Ozzie Guillen never liked Vazquez, so he’ll be on a mission. (Unfortunately, I won’t be going to the game anymore. Contact me if you’re looking to buy.)

Prediction:
I think Vazquez finally will put it together and Pettitte and Hughes will stay hot. Bring the brooms to The Bronx!