Yankees power Burnett past Blue Jays

Starter limits former team to two runs in seven innings

Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- The Yankees have made four turns through the rotation since A.J. Burnett, smarting from his most recent shellacking, stood in the clubhouse at Fenway Park and promised there would be an impressive run to come.

The right-hander has kept his word. Burnett spun yet another sharp outing on Friday, limiting the Blue Jays to two runs over seven innings in a 4-2 victory that opened a four-game weekend series at Yankee Stadium.

Since Burnett made that impromptu promise to reporters in Boston, he has limited opposing clubs to three earned runs over 27 2/3 innings, pitching the Yankees to victories in three of those contests.

"Maybe I got fed up when I said that," Burnett said. "You learn something every time out. I've learned what I have. That's the bottom line -- trusting and staying within yourself. That's been the difference."

Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez homered as the Yankees posted their eighth win in nine games, touching up left-hander Brian Tallet for three runs (two earned) in six innings, while the Blue Jays got their first looks at the new Yankee Stadium.

"They spent a billion dollars to build the same ballpark," Tallet said. "That's what we've been saying all year. This is the first time we've seen it. The clubhouse is nice and all that, but the surrounding atmosphere is still the same. It's still Yankee Stadium."

And vintage was in, as the Blue Jays must have felt familiar with what they saw from Burnett, who left Toronto to sign a five-year, $82.5 million deal with New York. After all, Burnett's confident and dominant persona was what led the Yankees to write those large checks in the first place.

"It seemed like we were on the opposite side of that all last year," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.

Firing his fastball in the high 90s and offsetting the heat with a good curveball, Burnett limited the Blue Jays to seven hits, walking two and striking out seven.