There is no good way to frame a Mariano Rivera blown save. His streak of 36 consecutive conversions is over. It's his 11th earned run in 59.2 innings.
But we can choose not to focus on the negative. And I do.
AJ Burnett was good last night because he prepared to be:
Burnett spent part of his time between starts watching videotape of his best games from the 2008 season with the Blue Jays, the career year that earned him an $82.5 million deal from the Yankees, examining mechanics and making mental notes.
He worked out of a lot of trouble: 7 hits in 7 innings plus 3 base on balls (4 of those base runners reached in the 3rd, but the 5th was AJ's only perfect frame). 1 earned run.
But this AJ is what we need to make our rotation a force in the post-season.