The Yankees received a quality start from A.J. Burnett and a three-run blast in the fourth inning from Nick Swisher, as they completed their sweep of the Athletics this afternoon.
Scoreboard Says:
Yankees 4, A’s 2
W: A.J. Burnett
L: Gio Gonzalez
S: Mariano Rivera
Swisher’s Splits:
You would hope a switch hitter hits better from the left side because there are far more right-handers in the league than southpaws. That’s not the case with Swisher, who was hitting .306/.393/.408 against lefties compared to .175/.310/.275 against righties heading into today. His homer came off Gonzalez, a lefty.
Awesome A.J.:
Burnett has allowed three earned runs or fewer in five of his last six starts. His record in that span (2-2) doesn’t reflect that, but he’s meant a lot to this rotation. Just think about how awful he was last season.
A-Rod-Cano Chase to .300 Update:
Alex Rodriguez singled and doubled to boost his average to a team-leading .292. Robinson Cano singled, but sits at .284. A-Rod is #winning the chase to .300.
Mo Ends Drought:
For the first time since May 10, Rivera recorded a save. He did blow one save between then and now, but the drought was more of the Yankees not giving him save situations than him not doing his job.
Game Ball:
Pitching staff. A.J. to Joba to Mo. So simple, and it worked beautifully today.
