Behind Burnett, Bombers Right Back to Winning

NEW YORK – It didn’t take AJ Burnett and the Yankees long to get back on the winning track.

After losing for the first time in eight games Thursday night, the Bombers took the first game of a four-game set from Toronto Friday afternoon at the Stadium. Burnett scattered six hits over seven innings, Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez homered, and the Yankees opened the long holiday weekend with a 4-2 victory.

Wearing bright red caps as part of Major League Baseball's Fourth of July weekend celebration, the Yankees quickly rebounded. Burnett (7-4), who lost to his former team at Toronto on May 12, allowed both runs, struck out seven and walked two. Phil Coke and Phil Hughes split the eighth and Mariano Rivera struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 21st save in 22 chances, No. 503 of his career.

"When you’re clicking, everything just flows,” Burnett said. “When you’re clicking on pitches, you don’t even think about anything. You know, it’s just all confidence out there.”

The offensive highlight of the afternoon came from Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod led off the eighth against Jeremy Accardo with an opposite-field homer to right. He has 14 homers this season – including five in his last eight games.

“It was good to have a day game and get back at it really quickly,” Rodriguez said.

The Blue Jays feel for the fifth time in their last six games and are now 1-3 against New York this season, including 0-1 at the Stadium. Toronto starter Brian Tallet suffered his second straight loss.

“Not too good,” Toronto manager Cito Gaston said of losing the game. “You’d prefer to win games like this…but it sure didn’t feel good.”

The Jays will send Halladay to the mound tomorrow to oppose Chien-Ming Wang. Halladay is 10-2 with a 2.56 ERA this season. Wang is 1-6 with a 10.06 ERA.

Notes: Yankees catcher Jorge Posada rested his sore left thumb for the second straight day. He was hit by a foul ball Wednesday night…Toronto third baseman Scott Rolen singled to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 20 games...A-Rod tied Don Mattingly (222) for ninth place on the franchise’s all-time list. He is also two homers shy of tying Rafael Palmeiro (569) for 10th place on baseball’s all-time list.