Rieber: Cash makes trip and catches A.J. on a good day, shiner and all

BALTIMORE

Brian Cashman, who arrived on the scene at Camden Yards on Friday night with the Yankees having lost eight of 10, admitted he came for more than just a tasty crab cake sandwich. "There's a lot of reasons that I'm here," the general manager said.

The biggest one became apparent when A.J. Burnett took the mound in the bottom of the first inning sporting a mysterious shiner under his right eye.

What happened to Burnett between the time he left the Yankees on Wednesday in Tampa Bay and came into the clubhouse here Friday?

A clue that only became obvious after the fact were the sunglasses Burnett wore into the ballpark. But super cool ballplayers often don't take their shades off, so no one thought much of it until Burnett threw his first pitch to Brian Roberts.

Can't wear shades on the mound. Can't hide a shiner when you're pitching live on HD.

Neither Burnett nor manager Joe Girardi would explain how Burnett showed up at the ballpark with a black eye following Thursday's day off. It is believed he was given permission to go home instead of accompanying the Yankees to Baltimore.

"I know you have to ask," Burnett said, "but I'm not going to comment. There are more important things going on with this team than my eye."

Burnett did joke, "It made me look tough."

Girardi, who was not laughing, said: "I'm not going to comment. The story is he pitched well. That's what we're concerned about."

Burnett is 33 going on 15, but the Yankees knew that when they signed him. They knew it when he cut both hands during an emotional outburst in the clubhouse in July.

Whatever happened to Burnett this time, Girardi is right about one thing. What the Yankees have to be concerned about is who will start for them in the playoffs after CC Sabathia. Andy Pettitte makes his return from the disabled list Sunday. If he's healthy, cross that concern off Cashman's list.

If he's not? If Pettitte tweaks the groin that cost him two months? Then it's Burnett and Phil Hughes and a lot of worry for the defending World Series champs.

This is not new - the calculus on the rotation hasn't changed in months - but it's more of a real concern than whether the Yankees win the AL East or if they get through their nagging injuries or whether Derek Jeter can ever be trusted again.

"We're fine," Cashman said before the Yankees' 4-3 victory over the Orioles. "I honestly think we're fine."

Still, Cashman was here. He admitted he might not have been if the Yankees had won eight of their previous 10. But Cashman has ties to the area, it's a relatively short drive, and the crab cakes really are tasty.

And his starting pitcher had an unexplained black eye.

Cashman got to see Burnett pitch well - three runs in seven innings. Burnett was, to use Cashman's word, "fine." Maybe not dandy, but the Yankees have seen him implode enough times to take what he gave them Friday.

In last year's postseason, Burnett was true to his pedigree: great sometimes and horrible others. He had a 1.86 ERA in three home starts and a 13.50 ERA in two road outings.

Still, the Yankees won the World Series with him as their Game 2 starter in each round, which is what Pettitte reminds Burnett of from time to time.

"No matter how much experience you have, if you're struggling a little bit, you get down on yourself," Pettitte said. "You want to do good. You want to do your job. All you do is just try to continue to reinforce him, say, 'It's going to be good, you're going to be fine.' "

Is Burnett fine? Looked like it Friday. Despite the mysterious shiner.