AJ blows up in 5th, Yanks tied for 1st

When manager Joe Girardi described A.J. Burnett’s fifth inning last night, he said Burnett’s sinker flattened and his command disappeared.

“It got him in trouble,” Girardi said.

That’s an understatement. Burnett authored an abysmal fifth inning in the Yankees’ 8-6 loss to Toronto, blistered by the Blue Jays in that frame for seven runs on a homer, five doubles (Sergio Mitre would give up a sixth) and a walk. Burnett was shelled for eight runs in just 42⁄3 innings.

The $82 million righty and the Yankees took a 2-1 lead into the fifth. Travis Snider opened with a double to right-center and Edwin Encarnacion blasted a two-run homer to left to make it 3-2 Toronto. (NY Post)