TAMPA — By the middle of December, A.J. Burnett was the reason the Yankees didn’t win the AL East, lost to the Rangers in the ALCS and was responsible for fellow Arkansas native Cliff Lee turning his back on The Bronx.
Lee going to Philly and Andy Pettitte prematurely retiring turned Burnett into the biggest question mark in a rotation drowning in them.
“There was a lot said after last year,” Burnett said after two scoreless innings against the Astros at George M. Steinbrenner Field yesterday in a 6-5 Yankees victory. “My job is to shut mouths.”
Two innings in the first start of the exhibition season isn’t going to zip lips. It is, however, all we have to use in the evaluation process.
When camp opened Burnett and first-year pitching coach Larry Rothschild focused on reducing the right-hander’s side-to-side movement, something that robbed him of velocity and sharpness with the breaking ball.
Rothschild gave Burnett drills to reinforce the changes, and they are part of the daily routine.
“There has to be a turn, but as long as it’s lift to turn and try not to kick it up, stay toward home plate instead of falling off toward the dugout,” Burnett said of his delivery.
In two frames, he faced seven
batters, gave up two singles, induced a double play and caught Clint Barnes looking at a third-strike breaking ball.
“I threw a couple of curveballs today,” Burnett said. “I usually don’t throw them until the third or fourth [spring] start. They were loopy, but I threw them.”
A lot of talk in Yankees’ camp has been about who the fourth and fifth starters will be. Yet the Yankees need Burnett to be a lot better than he was last year, when he went 10-15 with a 5.26 ERA, was dropped from the ALDS rotation against the Twins and gave up a ALCS-changing home run to Bengie Molina in Game 4.
Burnett is hoping the altered delivery will reduce the margin he missed pitches with a year ago.
“Eliminate the 0-2 curveball at the front foot where you yank balls and miss by a foot and a half off the plate,” Burnett said. “When you miss by inches, it’s a big difference.”
There is a bigger difference between the second day of March and early April. But Joe Girardi was satisfied with the small sampling.
“For the first time out, the adjustment to his mechanics and he threw ground balls, I am pleased,” Girardi said. “He is more toward the plate. I think he had one he pulled off a little bit, not as drastic as before.”
If Burnett stays toward the plate, Girardi believes his command and consistency will improve. Of course, there is no guarantee the adjustments will lead to success. And it’s not like former pitching coach Dave Eiland didn’t try to fix Burnett in the final two months of the season, when he went 1-7, allowed 76 hits in 65 1/3 innings and was saddled with a 6.61 ERA.
“They worked on his mechanics every time he went to the bullpen,” Girardi said. “Sometimes it’s not easy to fix it in the middle [of the season].”
george.king@nypost.com