Cano, Burnett a two-man show as Yanks blank Orioles

BALTIMORE - Joe Girardi wasn't too surprised seeing Robinson Cano come into last night leading all of baseball in hitting.

"We've always talked about how Robby's a great hitter and that if he doesn't chase pitches, he's going to hit really, really high,'' Girardi said. "I think that's what we're seeing right now.''

The Orioles can attest.

Entering last night 5-for-9 in the series and hitting .390 overall, Cano added three hits, including two home runs, as the Yankees, also getting eight shutout innings from A.J. Burnett, beat the Orioles, 4-0, in front of 26,439 at Camden Yards.

The victory allowed the Yankees (14-7) to go 5-4 on the nine-game trip.

Working quickly, and mostly ahead, Burnett (3-0, 2.43) improved to 5-0 against the Orioles at Camden Yards, allowing only three hits. Just one runner, Cesar Izturis in the sixth, reached third against Burnett, who struck out four and walked one.

But his night was overshadowed by Cano, the 27-year-old second baseman who, in Burnett's words, is "locked in at the plate and in the field.''

Cano continued his assault at the plate, going 3-for-4 to raise his average to .407 and also made the defensive play of the night in the third, a play Burnett called "amazing'' and Girardi called "incredible.''

Nolan Reimold led off the inning by grounding one back up the middle. Cano fielded the ball behind the bag and, with the ball barely spending a half-second in his glove, he threw out the Orioles' leftfielder by inches.

"Robby goes to the right and makes that play better than anyone I've ever seen,'' Girardi said.

"Not too many second basemen can make that play,'' said Derek Jeter, who had two hits.

Burnett said he thought Cano had "no chance'' when the ball came off Reimold's bat.

"Those are the kinds of things that just happen,'' Cano said. "It's nothing that I practice or anything. It just happens.''

Girardi, who benched Cano in September of his first season as manager for not hustling, showed confidence in Cano by designating him as his No. 5 hitter during spring training. Cano hit the ball all spring and hasn't stopped. After Cano's first homer, a solo shot in the fourth to make it 2-0, Orioles catcher Matt Wieters joked with Marcus Thames, who was up next.

"Wieters was like, 'wow, we need to check that bat because it sounding really, really loud,''' said Thames, who went 3-for-3 off Brian Matusz (2-1) to improve to 10-for-16 off lefties this season. "I was like, it's been like that since spring training. Even BP, you watch his BP, it's the same thing."

Even Girardi couldn't have envisioned this kind of start.

"It's as good as it gets,'' Girardi said. "Whether it's at the plate, defensively . . . I mean the play that he made up the middle was remarkable. He's playing as good as you can play."

Burnett, who Girardi said has been "really good in the month of April, too,'' looked in a zone. Burnett struggled with his curveball Friday in Anaheim and said it wasn't much better last night.

But, throwing to Francisco Cervelli with Jorge Posada out, everything else was, especially his ability to get ahead of hitters.

"I felt unbelievable,'' said Burnett, who was still throwing 95 in the eighth. "I don't even feel like I threw a pitch tonight. I wish I could feel that way all the time. That's me repeating my mechanics real well . . . it was just free and easy tonight. I feel my last start I was really putting a lot of strain on it but tonight I was nice and easy. It went pretty much where I wanted to.''