Major League Baseball

A.J.'S FEAR FACTOR - BURNETT OUT TO SCARE TEXAS, NOT YANKS FANS

Published Oct. 19, 2010 10:10 p.m. ET

foxsports

A.J. Burnett spent yesterday afternoon at a Halloween store buying zombie hands and vampire teeth for his children. Tonight, he could be the star of his very own horror movie.

Burnett takes the ball tonight for Game 4 of the ALCS against the Rangers - in a virtual must-win with the Yankees down two games to one - with a chance to prove he's either worth the $16.5 million the Yankees gave him this season or feel the wrath of a Yankee Stadium crowd fed up with his inconsistency.

"I have every idea of how important this game is," Burnett said.

Since the playoffs began, Burnett has been a hot topic around the Yankees, even though he has yet to throw a pitch in the postseason. First, he was left out of the starting rotation for the ALDS, showing how much faith the team had lost in him.

Then, manager Joe Girardi decided to start Burnett tonight, a decision that has been questioned, dissected and blasted. But the Yankees feel Burnett is a better option than pushing their other three starters to make starts on short rest.

While the decision has been debated by the media, Girardi has stuck to the plan to start Burnett since the series began.

"I never sent a message that we are making a change," Girardi said.

Girardi hopes the doubts might serve as motivation for the erratic pitcher.

"I think it could impact him the right way," Girardi said. "Sometimes athletes do their best when challenged."

Burnett said he is not paying attention to the negative comments.

"I know a lot of things have been written," Burnett said. "I don't read a lot. I don't dig into it too much, but I do go off [seeing] everyday people that I meet at breakfast and lunch and stuff, and it's been nothing but positive toward me. I'm just going at it as it's my turn to pitch in Game 4 of the [ALCS]."

Even if he's not listening to the criticism, Burnett knows what is at stake tonight. Win, and his terrible regular season will be forgotten. Lose, and he enters Jeff Weaver/Javier Vazquez territory with the fans.

Two years into a fiveyear, $82.5 million contract, Burnett is 23-24 with a 4.62 ERA in the regular season as a Yankee. Last postseason, he had two bad starts and three good ones.

"I don't think anything I've done since I've been here besides the postseason has been worth anything," Burnett said. "So, I'm not happy with my season."

One positive for the Yankees is Burnett's success against the Rangers this season. He went 1-0 with a 2.50 ERA in three starts against Texas. Burnett only won one of his final 12 starts this season, but he pitched well in a few of those and ended up with either no-decisions or losses.

Despite the inconsistency, Girardi said the team believes in Burnett.

"It was an up-and-down year," Girardi said.

"As players, we always believe in each other because we have all been through ups and downs. You might go through an 0-for-20 and then the next time a week later you go 13-for-20, and it happens, because players belong here and they are talented. And we all know what A.J. can dial up, and we believe in him."

Burn up and down

A.J. Burnett's up-and-down 2010 season (10-15, 5.26 ERA) was a bit of a continuation of his up-and-down 2009 postseason (1-1, 5.27). Here's a look at his starts in last year's playoffs:

Game Opp. Res. IP H ER BB SO

ALDS Gm. 2 Twins W, 4-3 6.0 3 1 5 6

ALCS Gm. 2 Angels W, 4-3 6.1 3 2 2 4

*ALCS Gm. 5 Angels L, 7-6 6.0 8 6 3 3

W.S. Gm. 2 Phillies W, 3-1 7.0 4 1 2 9

*W.S. Gm. 5 Phillies L, 8-6 2.0 4 6 4 2

Totals 27.1 22 16 16 24

* On the road