Poll Results: Did Eiland really make a difference on Burnett?

Fans voted Dave Eiland would make a difference on A.J. Burnett after his return early last week, and Burnett shined. He threw 6-2/3 innings of shutout ball with no run support.

But was it really Eiland who made the difference? Or was it just the fact that he was pitching against his old team and has always been an inconsistent pitcher?

I side with the latter. No offense to Eiland, but was he in Toronto in 2008 when Burnett went 18-10? Or in Florida in 2005 when he posted a 3.44 ERA? Nope. Somehow, Burnett survived without him.

The fact is, Burnett has always, ALWAYS, been a hit-or-miss pitcher with nothing in between. The fact that he had a poor June while the team’s pitching coach was absent is little evidence to support this theory most fans are believing.

The only help Eiland seemed to provide was noticing Burnett was opening up too early. This is a very rudimentary problem that shouldn’t require a pitching coach to point out. But hey, if I’m wrong I’ll be a happy man.

That would mean Burnett will pitch like he did in the first two months for the rest of the year. We’ll see about that.

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If you didn’t hear yet, the Yankees won in walk-off fashion yesterday after Mo blew a save.

Next poll: Is it time to call up Montero?