Philadelphia @ New York preview
Yankee Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jun 15, 2010 ) Philadelphia 3, NY Yankees 8
A.J. Burnett admittedly has been struggling, but the tattooed right-hander can hang his hat on the last time he pitched against the Philadelphia Phillies at Yankee Stadium.
Does Game 2 of the 2009 World Series ring a bell?
It rings loud and clear for the Phillies' faithful, which watched Burnett give the Phillies' high-octane lineup an oil change over seven innings as the New York Yankees drew even in the Fall Classic. A misstep here or there and Charlie Manuel's club would've held a commanding 2-0 advantage with potentially three games slated for Citizens Bank Park.
Burnett made certain that it wasn't to be.
While the stage will not be as grand, Burnett (6-4, 3.86 ERA) will look to snap a modest two-game losing streak as the red-hot Yankees face the ice-cold Phillies on Wednesday in the second of a three-game series.
Tonight's contest will also bring about the return of Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who has been sidelined since last Thursday with a groin injury. He had a light workout in the field prior to Tuesday's game and declared himself ready to play.
As for Tuesday's game itself, Nick Swisher belted a two-run home run and Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira added solo shots as New York (41-23) cruised to an 8-3 triumph. The win was the Yankees' 13th in their last 17 outings and put them a season-best 18 games over .500.
The offensive explosion saddled Roy Halladay with his fourth loss in six outings and handed the Phillies (32-30) their 17th setback in 25 contests.
Chase Utley was moved up a spot in the lineup to No. 2 and delivered a pair of hits on Tuesday. The struggling Utley, however, has been held without a home run since May 20.
Burnett certainly knows how to keep Philadelphia's bats at bay. The 33-year-old Arkansas native delivered on that crisp October night, yielding just one run and four hits while striking out nine.
Sadly for Burnett, the present hasn't been too kind as of late. In his last two outings, Burnett has allowed four home runs - the same number he permitted in his previous 11 starts of the season.
Last Thursday, Burnett suffered his second straight setback of the season when he allowed four runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings against the lowly Baltimore Orioles.
Philadelphia will counter with grizzled veteran Jamie Moyer (6-6, 5.03 ERA), who has lost four of his last five outings. In his last start, the 47-year-old southpaw allowed nine runs and nine hits in one inning as the Boston Red Sox recorded a 12-2 drubbing of the Phillies.
Kyle Kendrick was originally slated to start today's contest, but the 25-year-old right-hander was pushed back to Thursday and will face Yankees veteran southpaw Andy Pettitte.