Yankees projected Game Four starter A.J. Burnett threw an 80-pitch simulated game Wednesday to keep himself sharp. Reports on his effectiveness were mixed, but Burnett seemed happy.
↵↵↵"Better than I thought," Burnett said. "I ended up throwing 80-plus pitches and felt good the whole way through it. That was a big step forward I think... Curveball was great I thought today, and I threw some great changeups too. The only two that got away were the only two that hit our guys."
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Hitting two of your own guys in what is essentially a practice would suggest that the command isn't quite there, but Burnett does have a strong three starts this season against the Rangers to comfort him. In 18 innings he allowed 16 hits and one home run, with a 17:7 K:BB ratio and a 2.50 ERA. The last of those, on September 11, was a bit of a four-inning struggle (4 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 89 pitches).
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