A.J. gives Girardi reason to consider him

The Yankees had nothing to prove, already having clinched home-field advantage throughout the league playoffs.

But for A.J. Burnett, Sunday was an audition. He had pitched himself to the periphery of the postseason rotation talk because of his unpredictability. But five days before the Yankees' Division Series opener, Burnett was determined to convince Joe Girardi that he deserved as much consideration as Freddy Garcia. He may have done just that.

"I've been giving him headaches all year; why not give him a good headache?" Burnett (11-11) said after the Yankees' 6-2 Game 1 victory over the Red Sox -- his first over Boston since Sept. 13, 2008.

While the Yankees closed out the regular season 44-12 (.786) in day games -- the highest winning percentage by any team since 1900, according to the Elias Sports Bureau -- the meltdown continued for Boston in Game 1. The defeat left the Red Sox with seven losses in their last eight games and 14 losses in their last 17. Their lead over the Rays, which was nine games entering Sept. 4, was cut to a half-game entering Game 2, which the Sox won, 7-4, on Jacoby Ellsbury's three-run homer off Scott Proctor with two outs in the 14th.

That gave Boston a one-game lead over Tampa Bay with three games remaining for each. Boston will play the Orioles in Baltimore and the Yankees will face the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Yankees had only two hits after the second inning in Game 2, including one hit in eight innings against the Boston bullpen. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez were available to pinch hit in the late innings but were not used. "Here's the thing: If you ask them to get loose and they pull something . . . ," Girardi said. "They've been sitting a long time. People are really going to question what you do. So physically, at this time of the year, to me it's not the right thing to do. Their bodies were shut down since 4 o'clock, it's 11:30 at night. I don't feel like it's the right thing to do."

Burnett's final plea was a strong one, as he allowed two runs, five hits and two walks in 72/3 innings, striking out six. He even received a rousing ovation -- a sight rarely seen in the Bronx -- from the crowd of 49,541 when he was pulled with two outs and a runner on second in the eighth.

"They've been rough, but I gave them reason to be rough," Burnett said of the fans. "So it makes up for everything. Walking off that mound with that ovation, it was incredible."

Aside from two home runs in Game 1 by Ellsbury, who now has 31 homers and 103 RBIs, Burnett had little trouble with the Boston lineup. Girardi noted that his command got "better and better" as the game went on, and Jeter was impressed with Burnett's quick pace.

"A.J.'s nasty. I tell you guys that all the time," said the shortstop, who went 3-for-4 in Game 1 to reach .300 for the first time since April 2. "He was getting ahead of guys today, he had a good breaking ball, he was throwing a lot of fastballs and you know how tough their lineup is. He was outstanding."

Burnett had a much easier afternoon than knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (7-8), who allowed five runs (three earned), including a two-run homer by cleanup hitter Jorge Posada. "The fans have been amazing all through my career, but especially this year," said Posada, who received a standing ovation.

Unlike Burnett, Ivan Nova couldn't escape trouble in Game 2. Given a 3-0 lead in the first inning after a two-run double by Mark Teixeira, he left with one out in the seventh and the Yankees trailing 4-3, putting his 12-game winning streak in jeopardy. But Chris Dickerson's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh got him off the hook, and the score remained tied at 4 until Ellsbury's homer in the 14th.

The Red Sox still face a difficult situation, but they weren't the only ones in desperation mode Sunday. "In between starts, you hear a lot and you see a lot," said Burnett, adding that he "maybe went out today with a little more focus."

Girardi said of his ALDS decisions, "We're going to continue to look at it and talk about it. And as I've said, our opponent has something to do with who we're going to pitch and how we're going about this . . . You weigh everything. And when we make this decision, we'll live with the decision."