After giving up six runs to the orioles, it marks the second time this month AJ Burnett has allowed that many runs to that very team. In fact he's managed to give up 7 runs to the white sox and 9 to the red sox in August, leaving his monthly ERAs at 6.03 for August and 5.56 so far for September. This is after posting an ERA under 2.50 for June and July, not even losing in July.

This has to be alarming, despite the fact that the yankees can just walk right into the playoffs, but the rotation is going to be messy after Sabathia. You can roll with a 3 man staff, but Pettitte and Burnett are just waiting to give you a heart attack, being sometimes very MISS and other times unhittable. And Chamberlain is reduced to a 3 inning circus side show. But on that end, putting him the pen for the playoffs could be good because if Sabathia is the only one eating innings, the pen could be over worked. It's been a surprisingly strong pen, Phil Hughes being a wonder, but the possibility still lingers.

Sure, they could out hit anyone, but how often do we say a team won the series solely on their bats? Add to that, Burnett sports a 5 plus ERA against the Angels and an ERA nearly 9.00 against the red sox, two teams you figure would stand in the yankees way of the World Series. Pettite has done O.K. against Boston but has been murdered in two starts against the angels and has never faced Detroit.

Does Burnett get the kinks out of his system just in time for October. or will we have the "Burnett Face" to talk about?