Baltimore Orioles At New York Yankees: Yanks Win, A.J. Burnett Goes To 3-0

[UPDATE: Pedro Feliciano has a torn shoulder capsule. He could be headed for season-ending surgery.]

It looks like the New York Yankees will be in the market for a left-handed relief specialist before the 2011 season is over. That’s because the latest medical news on Pedro Feliciano, signed for that purpose during the offseason, does not look good.

Here is the ominous quote from Yankees’ General Manager Brian Cashman:

“He’s got a damaged shoulder,” Girardi said. “The MRI did not come back good. He has a damaged shoulder, he has a shoulder injury, and in fairness to the player, he needs to talk about it with our doctors and the agents and decide what the next course of action will be. That’s all I’m going to give you.”

 

Between Feliciano and Damaso Marte, who Feliciano was supposed to replace, that means the Yankees have $8 worst of 2011 salary tied up in lefty specialists who can’t pitch because they have damaged left shoulders.

That leaves the job to Boone Logan, who has been awful so far this season with an ERA of 9.00 in two innings over four appearances, having given up five hits and three walks.

Al Leiter is up in the broadcast booth. Maybe they can get him to un-retire. And I guess there’s Kei Igawa. Throwing out those names is really a way of saying the Yankees don’t seem to have any good options, except the trade market.

The New York Yankees will take the kind of effort they got Tuesday night from A.J. Burnett all season long. Burnett (3-0) pitched six shutout innings before faltering in the seventh as the Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 7-4, at Yankee Stadium.

Alex Rodriguez stakes the Yankees to a 3-0 lead with a three-run first-inning home run, and the Yankees scored six run in 12/3 innings against Baltimore starter Chris Tillman. Rodriguez is hitting .355 with four home runs and eight RBI already this season. Jorge Posada also homered for the Yankees.

Burnett surrendered a pair of two-run homers to Matt Wieters and Brian Roberts in the seventh inning, but David Robertson, Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera finished up for New York.