Burnett-Martin battery makes connection

SEATTLE

A.J. Burnett briefly toured the Yankees' clubhouse Saturday conducting a straw poll of some teammates.

"I said, 'Do you know when I'm serious and when I'm joking?' " said Burnett, known for a rather dry wit.

The results? About a 50-50 split.

"I got seven [who do] and I got eight [not sure]," Burnett said by his locker Saturday night after discussing his fifth victory of the season, 7-3 over the Mets.

One who does, and has since spring training, is Russell Martin.

The two hit it off in February when pitchers and catchers reported. The relationship started on the right foot as the two found commonalities, among them similar senses of humor.

"I think he understands me," Burnett said, meaning both as a pitcher and person.

Said Martin: "He just has that personality and the humor that . . . I get it. The dry kind of sarcasm type of humor. A lot of guys, if you don't understand it, you're going to think the guy's a ---- and all that kind of stuff. I think he's funny."

Burnett, 34, brings a 5-3 record and 4.02 ERA into Friday night's start against the Mariners. After an atrocious 2010 season in which he went a career-worst 10-15 with a 5.26 ERA, he has been fairly consistent this season. Not great, but the one-inning meltdowns -- which last season usually occurred early in games, resulting in a taxed bullpen -- have largely been missing.

In his first 10 starts this year, Burnett has gone at least six innings seven times and has held the opposition to three or fewer earned runs seven times.

In discussing his good beginning, Burnett usually dispenses the credit three ways: to his offense, to new pitching coach Larry Rothschild and to Martin.

"He's a guy with a tremendous amount of talent that needs somebody in his corner once in a while," Martin said this week. "That's where I come in."

Burnett has reciprocated in that regard. If one player in the clubhouse can relate to Burnett's 2010, it's Martin, and vice versa.

Martin's last two seasons with the Dodgers featured poor play and injuries, with last year the nadir. Martin was hitting .248 with five home runs and 26 RBIs in 97 games last season before missing the last two months with a hip injury. This after back-to-back All-Star selections in 2007 and '08.

"We talked the other day about him losing that will last year, losing that drive to play," Burnett said. "He was injured, he was beat up, he wasn't having fun. [Last year] I was struggling, I wasn't having any fun."

Martin, 28, has said his head wasn't always in the right place, a sentiment Burnett certainly can understand. "It's tough to be good, to be great every year," said Martin, who is hitting .266 with nine homers and 26 RBIs in 42 games in 2011. "It's really not that easy in this game. Especially if you're off just a little bit mentally and it stays with you for a little bit, it can ruin a season."

Both describe themselves as stubborn, but that's been an aid to the relationship rather than a hindrance.

On April 13 against Baltimore, Martin kept calling for the changeup -- a pitch Burnett annually talks about in spring training and usually abandons in the regular season -- and the pitcher ended up throwing 16 of them.

"His changeup's a really good pitch," Martin said then. "I saw it in the bullpen in spring training . . . It was weird him not knowing how good of a pitch it was."

Early in his outing April 30 against Toronto, Burnett had little feel for his curveball. Martin kept calling for it and Burnett later said he was glad the catcher did, as he eventually started to find the strike zone with it. He said it helps with his confidence.

"There's just times where you can see it, he gives me the sign, I shake and he puts the same thing down," Burnett said. "You say, this guy believes in it, let's go with it. It's big."