Burnett, Gardner Provide The Answers

Entering the season, two of the biggest questions the Yankees had on the roster were A.J. Burnett and Brett Gardner.

Tuesday they proved to be the least of the Yankees' concerns.

Burnett carried a no-hitter in the seventh and pitched eight terrific innings, and Gardner went 3-for-5 and produced three huge runs as the Yankees rebounded from Monday night's embarrassment with a tidy, 7-2 victory over the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Burnett was the most questionable of the Yankees' big three signings. Though loaded with talent and devastating stuff, Burnett has also been injury prone and his biggest years had come only in his walk years. Last season with Blue Jays was his best, setting a career high in wins (18), innings (221-1/3) and starts (34), while compiling an 18-10 record with a 4.07 ERA.

I couldn't help but wonder if last year was a fluke for Burnett, who turned 32 in January. Would he become another Carl Pavano?

Through two starts, it's clear something has clicked with this guy. Burnett said he learned a lot from former AL Cy Young winner Roy Halladay while he was playing in Toronto, and it's clear those lesson have taken. In two straight starts, he's picked up the slack for Chien-Ming Wang. And did the Yankees ever need it Tuesday after Wang's disastrous 1+ inning outing.

Wang's short outing Monday left the Yankees' bullpen taxed. They needed a long a quality start from Burnett. What they got was an ace-like performance.

Burnett was brilliant -- unhittable through six and tough enough to survive the seventh when his no-hit bid was broken up and the Rays came back to tie the score. He allowed just the three hits and two runs in the seventh. He walked one in the second and struck out nine while throwing 67 of 103 pitches for strikes.

He saved the bullpen and helped the Yankees rediscover their confidence. New York is a tough adjustment for nearly all free agents, but through two starts, Burnett is fitting in just fine and is quickly winning over the fans. And as long as he stay healthy, he won't have to worry about being compared to his buddy and former Marlins teammate Pavano.

Garnder, meanwhile, proved to be quite the spark plug. The Yankees needed to come out and score in the first after Monday's debacle. Gardner got them going with a leadoff single. After Derek Jeter singled and Mark Teixeira walked, Gardner scored on a sac fly by Jorge Posada and the Yankees had that important lead.

Gardner delivered again in the eight after the Rays tied the score. He led off with a double to deep left, advanced to third on Jeter's single and scored Teixeira sac fly to give the Yanks a lead they wouldn't relinquish. And just for good measure, Gardner delivered a key insurance run in the ninth with a ground-rule double over B.J. Upton's head in center. He came around to score on Jeter's three-run homer.

The question with Gardner entering the season was whether he'd hit enough to be a factor. So far he's hitting .296 with a .729 OPS. The Yankees will be thrilled if he keeps that up because that will likely mean he'll be scoring a ton of runs.

The Good
Jeter also went 3-for-5, snapping his recent skid and boosting his average to .265. The top two in the lineup (Gardner and Jeter) went 6-for-10 and when that happens, the Yankees should have no trouble scoring. Nick Swisher also remained hot, going 2-for-4 with yet another homer. He's doing everything the Yankees have asked of him, and doing it well. Now if he could only play third until A-Rod gets back. Speaking of third, Joe Girardi finally gave Cody Ransom a day off. Ramiro Pena started in his place and didn't do much, but sitting Ransom wasn't about getting playing time for Pena. It was about letting Ransom settle down and relax. Finally, Brian Bruney pitched the ninth and didn't mess around, throwing 10 pitches, nine strikes, and striking out the side.

The Bad
Xavier Nady, who has a seven-game hitting streak, was lifted in the seventh. Turns out his elbow is hurting, according to the Westchester Journal News' Peter Abraham. Nady had Tommy John surgery on that elbow in the past, so hold your breath. ... Teixeira had the walk and the sac fly, but finished 0-for-3. He's hitting .211.

What We Learned
Burnett appears to be the real deal. His stuff is nasty and he's harnessed his control. He's as tough as anyone out there and might just turn into a steal.

Hey Dave...
Swisher has 12 RBI so far this season. Entering the Sox's game against the A's late Tuesday, that's more than Kevin Youkilis (4), Mike Lowell (4) and David Ortiz (3) had combined. Boston's leader was Jason Bay with 6.

Runner On Third With Less Than Two Outs
Tuesday
Four Opportunities
0-for-1, BB, K, 2 SF, 2 R, 2 RBI
Season
16 Opportunities
2-for-13, 3B, BB, 3 SF, 10 R, 7 RBI, K, GIDP

Up Next
Wednesday at Rays, 4:08 p.m., YES
Andy Pettitte (1-0, 1.29) vs. Andy Sonnanstein (0-1, 9.64)
If Pettitte can repeat what he did in his first game, the Yankees will be in great shape to finish this season opening, nine-game trip at 5-4, and you'd have to be thrilled with that.