Davidoff: There's no reason to push Jorge, A.J. together

BOSTON

There is a certain weirdness, following yet another exciting Yankees-Red Sox game, in asking two adults how they liked working together. But A.J. Burnett and Jorge Posada had earned this scrutiny, with an assist from their manager Joe Girardi, and so we had ourselves a couples therapy session at Fenway Park.

The Yankees picked up their first victory of the year, 6-4, over the Sawx, with Joba Chamberlain evoking memories of 2007. We'll continue to monitor the starter (in college and the minor leagues)-turned-setup-man-turned-starter-turned-setup-man. He needs to prove himself over the long haul.

For Burnett and Posada, though, we can set the bar lower. The men just needed to prove they could peacefully coexist. They did that, through a decent first start for Burnett.

And now that the Yankees buried this hatchet, they should try Burnett with Francisco Cervelli the next time through the starting rotation.

"I was so at ease out there tonight, just working with him," Burnett said of Posada. "We've got so much going against these guys and their lineup, the Red Sox. It's not an easy task.

"The last thing you want to worry about is, 'How's he doing back there, and how am I doing?' I saw it from him, and I think he saw from me, it was good from the get-go."

"It means a lot to me," Posada said of Burnett's peacemaking efforts. "He went out of his way to make me feel good. I appreciate that."

Burnett produced a night similar to his Red Sox counterpart Jon Lester. Both expended 94 pitches over five innings before departing, allowing four runs. Burnett walked one, struck out five and allowed seven hits; Lester walked three, struck out four and gave up five hits. Slight edge to Burnett.

The emotional Burnett managed to keep himself together. The Red Sox went just 1-for-6 with a sacrifice fly with runners in scoring position against him. The righthander said he felt good about both his fastball and his curveball, and he credited Posada - whose receiving skills came under fire in Sunday night's season-opening, 9-7 loss - for blocking the curveballs that bounced in the dirt.

"When he's blocking 57-footers early, I'm going to keep throwing them, absolutely," Burnett said.

Posada said the turning point occurred after Burnett hit Mike Cameron with a curveball in the fourth, putting men on first and second with just one out. Said Posada: "I went out there and told him, get on top of the curveball a little bit more. And he did it right away."

Marco Scutaro hit into an inning-ending double play, and the Yankees took the lead in the top of the fifth, which Burnett gave up in the bottom of the inning, but ended his night by striking out Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz.

The cold war has ended. If the Yankees need Posada to catch Burnett - in the playoffs, even - they know it can happen. Yet a) Posada, turning 39 in August, needs plenty of rest, and b) there's something to be said for assigning Cervelli to one specific pitcher. Because Burnett's pitches dart and dive so much, why not pair him with the more nimble Cervelli?

In recent years, the Yankees have excelled at eliminating drama from their universe. A.J. and Jorge Try Again provided some nice drama for us last night. It seems to us, though, that A.J. and Francisco Give It a Go could lead to the same happy ending as 2009.