Facing the down-in-the-dumps Baltimore Orioles tonight, A.J. Burnett
has struggled again. Through four inning, Burnett has allowed 3 runs
and 9 baserunners while striking out only one.

Now, there have
been times when Burnett pitched extremely well with Posada behind the
plate. Nevertheless, even those who stand strongest in Posada’s corner
on this issue admit that there IS, in fact, an issue.

Tonight,
for example, just before Burnett gave up a 3-1 lead in the third
inning, Posada actually called time as A.J. was beginning his windup.
He did it again before a leadoff single that started aother big inning
in the fourth.

So here’s the question: Regardless of who is to blame, is it in the Yankees‘ best interest for Girardi to FORCE Burnett to keep pitching to Posada?

Obviously, the Yankees
are at their best when Posada’s bat is in the lineup. Look no further
than tonight for proof – the guy just hit his second home run of the
game, giving New York a 5-3 lead. But A.J. is an emotional guy. It
serves no positive purpose to make him uncomfortable before the game
even begins.

Girardi doesn’t force CC Sabathia to work with
Posada, and he shouldn’t force A.J. to, either. Especially now that
rosters have expanded and Francisco Cervelli is back, which allows the Yankees, should they choose, to use Jose Molina behind the plate and DH Posada.

As things stand right now, getting Burnett straightened out might be the most important ting on the Yankees‘
plate. It’s easy to watch Burnett pitch and say he’s pitching poorly.
But how much of that is due to his being uncomfortable with the catcher?

It’s
worth giving Burnett a chance to work with a different catcher. The
worst thing that can happen is it doesn’t work out. If it doesn’t, it’s
on Burnett. But what if it DOES work?

There is only one way to find out.