Sometimes You Get The White Sox, Sometimes The White Sox Get You

A.J. Burnett has frustrated fans in Florida, Toronto, and New York in his 13 year career, but last night Burnett was the pitcher everyone has dreamed of. Eight solid innings (the first time since August 15 of last year and just the fourth time since the start of the '09 season) of one run, 3-hit ball should have set him up for his fourth win without a loss. But former New York Mets prospect Phil Humber humbled the Yankees through seven innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Yankees 2-0.

Humber held the Yankees hitless until one out in his final inning of work when Alex Rodriguez singled back up the middle. It followed a Mark Teixeira walk and was one of the few rallies the Yankees had on the evening. But after a trip to the mound by pitching coach Don Cooper, Humber struck out Robinson Cano (Have you noticed his zone of pitches to swing at has gone back from head to toe? That he's walked just once this year?) and got the slumping Nick Swisher to ground out to end the inning.

Burnett meanwhile pitched in tough luck- Curtis Granderson got a bad read on a Carlos Quentin line drive in the 4th and misplayed it into a double. A pair of ground outs produced an RBI for Adam Dunn and a 1-0 lead. Burnett then breezed through the next four innings to keep his team in the game. But his team looked lifeless.

It didn't help the White Sox got an insurance run in the 9th thanks to a miscommunication in the infield. Alexei Ramirez popped up a Rafael Soriano pitch over the mound, but it wasn't high enough for Derek Jeter to get there in time. Meanwhile, Soriano pointed to the sky, got out of the way, and never looked back at the ball. Had he done so he might have caught the ball and averted the trouble to come. But one out later pinch-runner Brent Lillibridge stole second base and came home on Paul Konerko's single for a 2-0 lead and set off a round of boos for Soriano.

Earlier in the game, Granderson told Burnett he would get the run back that he had misplayed. True to form, he ripped a lead off single in the 9th inning, but Sergio Santos got Teixeira to bounce into a back breaking 3-6-1 double play and the Yankees were finished.

Notes

Phil Hughes will go for an MRI today on his numb/dead shoulder. Hughes told YES' Kim Jones it feels like when someone "punches you in the thigh and it goes numb". Why the thigh and not the arm? You'll have to ask Hughes.