If there were any doubt that A.J. Burnett and Jorge Posada aren’t exactly BFFs, it’s that tonight’s Yankee lineup contains Francisco Cervelli instead of Posada.
I was actually going to suggest this idea today. Given the importance of this game to both Burnett and the Yankees, they might as well pair him with the catcher he has the greater comfort level with. Not to mention the catcher better able to handle wild pitches and throwing runners out. Cervelli isn’t great at it, but I trust him more than I do Jorge at this point. If Posada were to catch tonight, we’d see double steals and home steals and all sorts of mayhem off A.J.
Besides, Burnett’s ERA is better with Frankie. According to the New York Post, here’s how the numbers break down:
During the season, Burnett pitched 186 2/3 innings, and his best results overall were with Cervelli, who caught 129 1/3 of the innings as Burnett posted a 4.66 ERA. Posada caught 38 1/3 innings with Burnett, during which the righty posted a 7.28 ERA. Burnett’s other 19 innings were with Chad Moeller, who worked with him to a 5.21 ERA. Moeller is not on the ALCS roster.
Yes, I know Posada is a better hitter than Cervelli. But Posada, along with the rest of his teammates with the exception of Robinson Cano, hasn’t exactly been hitting up a storm as of late — he has just two hits in the first three games. Could Cervelli be any worse?
I know some readers don’t like the idea of personal catchers, especially considering Burnett isn’t exactly the second coming of Greg Maddux. Well, tonight’s game is a must-win. Increasing A.J.’s comfort level is necessary at this point for the good of the team.
I did see that Burnett showed up late to the interview room yesterday because he was buying stuff at the Halloween Store. As one of my friends put it, let’s hope he’ll be wearing the costume of a great pitcher tonight.
What do you think? Tell us about it.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
