This was just before the trade deadline, just before Hiroki Kuroda had publicly stated he refused to waive his no-trade clause to accept a deal away from the Dodgers.
The Yankees were interested in the righty, but Kuroda was 6-13, albeit with a 3.11 ERA. So I was curious what that record reflected: Was Kuroda a good pitcher hurt by a bad team, or a pitcher who would find a way to lose?
So I called a member of the Dodgers’ organization and this is what the person said, “It is hard to win when you are a Los Angeles Dodger. If [Andre] Ethier or [Matt] Kemp don’t hit, we don’t score. This isn’t like the Yankees. It is easy to win with the Yankees. That is what makes A.J. Burnett such a problem. How could you not win with that team?”
Indeed. The Yanks lead the majors in runs. Their bullpen ERA leads the AL by a quarter of a run. It is a dream combination for a starting pitcher; a powerhouse offense to get you a lead, a deep relief corps to help protect it. You would have to work to be 9-10; and Burnett has worked badly to earn that record.
Burnett’s 4.96 ERA this season ranks 10th worst in Yankees history for a pitcher with enough innings to qualify for the ERA title. His 5.26 last year is third worst. If he doesn’t improve in 2011, he is going to be the only pitcher in team history with two of the 10 worst marks. It makes sense his 4.72 ERA in 92 Yankee starts is by far the worst mark in team history for anyone allowed to make even 80 starts. The next worst is the 4.33 of Scott Kamieniecki.
With the advancement of statistical metrics, won-lost record has diminished in relevance. But Burnett’s 32-34 mark for the Yankees nevertheless tells a story about a pitcher not exploiting his surroundings. The Yankees have won a major league-best 275 games since Burnett’s 2009 arrival. They had lost a major league-low 175 games — five fewer than Philadelphia, 16 fewer than the Red Sox.
Yet Burnett is 32-34. He has lost as the Yankees have won more than any other team in the sport.
If you have been paying attention you know how this happens: He only has two pitches and no craft, no savvy, no pitching IQ to get him through when his fastball and/or curve are off. He has a complicated delivery that derails consistency and command. The fastball that was once consistently 94-95 mph is now more often 92. Good, but not great. Especially if you are not going to have a variety of stuff to keep hitters from just sitting on that pitch.
Burnett further compounds his issues by regularly being among the league leaders in wild pitches and hit batsmen. And where is the fight? Burnett is terrible at limiting damage — in games and in seasons. For the second straight year, he has had a season snowball on him and has not possessed the faculties to make a stand.
His fight the other day in Minnesota — if everyone’s story with the team is to be believed — was not against Joe Girardi, but with home-plate ump D.J. Reyburn. Burnett felt his last pitch should have been strike three to Joe Mauer rather than ball four. Let the record show that was his 61st pitch. In his first 60, he had allowed five hits, two walks and thrown two wild pitches. So to try to put even a little bit of this performance on an umpire is both unacceptable and unprofessional.
Girardi and GM Brian Cashman are trying to publicly defend Burnett. There are two more years left on his contract for $33 million, and they see how the snowball of negativity is moving now against a mentally fragile guy. They want to stop that snowball. But Burnett is 34 years old, 303 starts into his career. The snowball only rolls one way now. All of the talk about improved mechanics or fresh mental approach is just so much propaganda.
The bar is this low now on Burnett: The Yankees are hoping to get something, anything out of him; hoping he does not kill them. He is not only trending out of the rotation for the final weeks this year and off the postseason roster. But the clock is ticking toward how long the Yankees will continue to employ him if he continues to be one of the worst pitchers in team history in 2012.
At a time when the Yankees have won more than anyone, Burnett has figured out how to be a loser.
joel.sherman@nypost.com