AJ Burnett again did not have full control of his pitches. In seven innings on the mound, the right hander walked four, threw a wild pitch and surrendered four earned runs. It was his fourth straight loss in a game that he had pitched at least seven innings.

The defeat was the fifth suffered by Burnett im his last seven starts. The defeat dropped his record to 10-13 and his earned run average climbed to 5.15. Despite the disappointing stats, Yankee manager Joe Girardi was pleased by Burnett’s outing, “I like the way he threw the ball today. I think it was a step forward.”

The Yankee manager’s opinion was seconded by Yankee captain Derek Jeter, “I really thought he threw the ball well. He looked a lot sharper today. It was a step in the right direction.”

Burnett was not satisfied at his inability to prevent the Orioles from coming back and taking the lead after the yanks had scored, “I take pride in shut downs. Every time, you want to shut them down. I get the lead and I blow it. That’s the story today.”

One of the bright spots for the pinstripes was how Alex Rodriguez swung the bat. In his second game after a stint on the 15-dat DL, Rodriguez drove in two runs to reach the century plateau. In the fourth, he took a 2-1 pitch into the stands in left-center to tie the game at one. Rodriguez’s 22^nd round tripper for the season was the 605^th of his career.

In the sixth, with the bases loaded, Rodriguez flied deep to right for a sacrifice fly. His second run batted in gave him 100 for the 2010 season. He tied Hall of Fame sluggers Lou Gehrig and Jimmy Foxx with 13 consecutive seasons of having achieved at least 100 runs driven in. He now holds the career mark with 14 such productive seasons.

When informed by official scorer Bill Shannon of A-Rod’s accomplishment, Girardi commented, “This shows how consistent he’s been, how healthy he’s been. He came up at a very young age and was productive right away.”

The events of the Monday’s game seems inconsistent with the fact that the two teams have exact records in reverse. The Yanks, 86-52 and the Orioles, 52-86. Yet, the yanks still have the best record in the majors and remained 2.5 games in front of the second place Tampa Rays.

The above standings are exactly where Girardi want his team to be, “Our focus is on [winning] the division. I want to have the best record and have home field advantage.”

In the second of the three game series, CC Sabathia will be attempting to win his 20^th game of the year. Jake Arrieta (4-6) will oppose him on the mound. The final game of the 10-game homestand will be the sixth afternoon game in the last seven on Wednesday.

This season marks the 30^th anniversary of the Mets Hall of Fame. During the thirty years, the Mets have only inducted 25, including this week’s foursome, into the Hall. The most recent ceremony took place in 2002, when outfielder Tommy Agee was added. The group of four inducted on Sunday was the largest contingent added in an individual season.

A plaque of each of the newest members was added to the Mets Hall of Fame and Museum, located in the Rotunda area of Citi Field. The plaques were unveiled during the ceremony, and fans were able to view them during the regularly scheduled game that afternoon. The Mets museum was opened this April in another action designed to recognize the history of the organization and salute its past heroes.

The ceremony was ably emceed by the radio voice of the Mets, Howie Rose. He began his introductions by stating, “We honor four truly iconic figures in the history of the New York Mets, men who played pivotal roles in the Mets second world championship in 1986.”

Rose introduced each who came onto the field from the outfield to receive his plaque from a previous member of the Mets HOF. A short film of the highlight of each recipient’s experiences with the Mets was shown, and then each responded with a short acceptance speech.

Although his name may be the least familiar to current Mets fans, Frank Cashen is the most responsible of the four honored guests for the success of the Mets in the 1980′s. Cashen was hired as general manager in 1980 by the team’s new owner, Nelson Doubleday.

Cashen brought success to the Mets as he previously did as an executive of the Baltimore Orioles from 1965-1975. The other three inductees were brought to the Mets through Cashen’s efforts. Godden and Strawberry were drafted by the club and Johnson was hired as manager in 1984. Cashen also obtained catcher Gary Carter, first baseman Keith Hernandez, third baseman Ray Knight and pitcher Ron Darling, all instrumental in the Mets achieving a World Series championship.

The Mets next won a division title in 1988, were competitive for several seasons, but did not become a dynasty. Cashen summarized the success of the team during his decade as general manager in a press conference at Citi Field on Saturday, “We drew three million people before anybody on the East Coast did it, did it twice. We had a great run. I appreciate it, and I appreciate going into the Mets Hall of Fame with all these distinguished gentlemen.”

After receiving his plaque from Rusty Staub, Cashen thanked all who helped him with emphasis on his wife, “The real Hall of Famer is my wife, Jean. She was the Most Valuable Player in my house.”  The 88 year-old and his wife are the parents of seven children and nine grandchildren.

Distinguished was not a word often, if ever, used to describe the 1986 Mets. The team was ranked 13^th in a poll published by SI.com on Saturday of the most hated individual teams. The unpopularity reflected on many factors including the club’s success and arrogance on the field.

Davey Johnson, who Cashen knew as an outstanding second baseman in Baltimore was hired as manager in 1984. Johnson, who remained as Mets skipper throughout the decade, compiled the most wins, 595, as a manager of the team. Of 1986, he said, “I thought we really had a perfect team. We had big egos, big personalities on this ballclub, but they all loved to play baseball.” One of the 1986 Mets, Gary Carter, presented his plaque to him.

The two players enshrined, Gooden and Strawberry, have always been linked. Both began their careers in the majors with the Mets in the early 1980′s after being drafted by the organization; each earned the Rookie of the Year award in his first season in the bigs with the Mets; both showed outstanding talent on the field, and appeared to be sure bets to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame when their playing careers ended; both played with the Yankees successfully later in their careers; both were embroiled in controversies involving substance abuse and marital difficulties. Finally, both entered the Mets Hall of Fame together on Sunday.

Each of the two Mets stars spoke glowingly of entering the Mets HOF on Sunday. Strawberry dismissed the disappointment of many fans of his for  never having lived up to his initial expectations as a player and not being elected into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, “We’re going into the Mets Hall of Fame, and that’s what’s important. That’s all I really care about.”

Gooden, who later played on four other teams, admitted, “When I played on other clubs, I always called the Mets first and tried to come back here.” Gooden expressed his gratitude to the fans, “It wouldn’t have been possible without all of you [fans].”

The first Hall of Fame Achievement Award was presented to Bob Mandt. The recipient has worked for the Mets since 1962 in a variety of positions.

On a day the four men were honored for their contributions to the Mats 1985 championship, the 2010 Mets players showed how much improvement would be needed to reach that pinnacle. In describing the 14-1 drubbing by the Arizona Diamondbacks, manager Jerry Manuel remarked, “We didn’t pitch; we didn’t hit; we didn’t catch the ball.” That has been the story during too many games during the 2010 season.

The most publicized event of the regularly scheduled contest between the two contenders for the American League East crown in 2010 was a downbeat and depressing occurrence. Yankee starter AJ Burnett in a moment of frustration, after the second inning, punched the door of the clubhouse and suffered lacerations from the plexiglass covering the day’s lineup.

With two outs in the first, Burnett gave up a single to Evan Longoria, who was plated by a double from Carlos Pena. First inning problems have been common to Burnett this season. He has allowed the opposition to score in the first in 14 of his 19 starts.

The second inning was not an improvement. With two outs, Jason Bartlett was hit by a pitch. The following batter, Reid Brignac, took a 1-0 pitch into the left field stands to bring the Rays lead to 3-0. After that inning, Burnett gave in to frustration.

With the Yankees only trailing by a 3-2 score, Burnett came out for the third. He hit 6he first batter, Longoria, with a pitch. With Pena at the plate, Burnett uncorked a wild pitch. Pena singled to center, and Burnett was removed from the game aft6er only throwing 43 pitches.

To add insult to the injury, Burnett, at first, told trainer Steve Donahue that he cut his hand after falling on stairs. The pitcher explained, “The plexiglass on the door came off, but didn’t shatter.” He then admitted to the truth of what happened and was in manager Joe Girardi’s office after the contest ended with a 10-5 loss to the Rays.

Girardi’s entire delayed post-game press conference was devoted to the incident involving Burnett. Girardi was peppered with queries regarding his feelings toward Bruentt’s act. He put a positive spin on the negative act, “AJ got frustrated and hit his hand on something and cut his hand at the end of the second inning. We’re fortunate the cut isn’t in his fingers. He should make his next start. He’s able to turn things around and turn the page. He has shown me he can pitch in big games [game two in the 2009 ALDS, game two in the 2009 ALCS, and game two in the 2009 World Series].”

Obviously, the manager can not condone the foolish action, which would encourage its repeat, “It’s not something AJ is proud of. It’s not something I want our guys to do. My job is to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Burnett is 33 years old and in his 11^th major league season. Although, anyone can lose his/her temper, the timing was very inauspicious. The Yanks, now two games in front of the Rays, have 73 more games to play in 2010. If Burnett misses time or continues to pitch inconsistently, it can have a disastrous affect upon the team’s chances to repeat as world champs. Burnett has lost six of his last seven decisions. His record is 7-8 and his ERA has inflated to 4.99. The question can now be asked more seriously as to whether or not the organization made a mistake by not obtaining Cliff Lee last week.

Sheppard was born in Ridgewood, Queens in October 1910. He attended St. John’s College (now University) in Queens. Sheppard studied literature and speech in college. After graduation he became a teacher in the New York City Public School System. Climbed each rung of the ladder of advancement until reaching the position of Speech Department Chairperson at John Adams High School in Ozone Park, Queens.

To supplement the meager income of a public school teacher, he played semipro football on Long Island. Sheppard also served his country as a naval officer during the Second World War. Sheppard married and the couple raised four children.

Sheppard’s long career behind the microphone began in the 1940′s when he announced a charity football game. In 1950, his admired work led to an offer from the New York Yankees to become the team’s public address announcer. He declined because the many day games then played would interfere with his teaching responsibilities.

One year later, Sheppard went to work at Yankee Stadium. His career in the Bronx began on April 17, 1951 and ended on September 5, 2007. During that period, he announced nearly 5,000 baseball games. The Yankees were not the only local sports team that were blessed to have Sheppard announce their games. He worked as the public address announcer for the New York Giants (football) for 50 seasons. He also worked for the New York Titans (AFL), the New York Stars (WFL), the New York Cosmos (NASL) and football and basketball games at St. John’s University, his alma mater.

Sheppard has been the recipient of many honors. These have been received not because of longevity but because of skill. Sheppard had been given honorary degrees by St, John’s and Fordham University. He was honored by the BBWAA and by the Yankees. On May 7, 2000, a plaque honoring him was added to Monument Park, the hallowed ground that honors Yankee immortals. One unofficial but no less moving and important honor is the respect shown Sheppard by Yankee captain Derek Jeter. A recording of the voice of Sheppard announcing Jeter’s name is played before each of Jeter’s trips to the plate in Yankee Stadium.

The announcer was an avid reader who always carried a book he was reading into the Stadium.  He was a devout Catholic who served as a lay reader during services. He was a regular attendee and overseer of the Sunday morning Masses held at the stadium when day games were scheduled. Sheppard ate at the Yankee Dining Room with organist Eddie Layton until the latter’s death. When the new ballpark opened in April 2009, the dining area had been named to honor Sheppard, Bob Sheppard’s Place.

Sheppard is survived by his wife Mary, four children, four grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. He also carries the respect of all who knew him.

Pettitte joined CC  Sabathia and Phil Hughes in double digit victories this season. The threesome are only the fourth Yankee trio of pitchers who have achieved this mark before the All-Star break in the past half-century. The feat was previously accomplished in 2003, 1998 and 1976. Of the achievement, Pettitte remarked, “I expect it from CC; Phil’s been doing an incredible job; I expect to win.”

Petitte had a rocky first inning in which he gave up three hits and the Blue Jays scored two runs, but retained his composure and bettered his pitching during the next five innings. He explained, “I felt good in the first. I was just overthrowing. They [Toronto batters] put good swings on the ball. You just have to change speeds.”

Pettitte was questioned about how he was affected by the extremely lengthy, 37 minutes, bottom of the third inning. The lefty responded to the queries, “That was a long inning. I was just trying to stay loose. I was jogging around [in the batting cage area] my legs loose. Once we scored four.” Although he would have liked to enter the game sooner than he did, he was glad the team went on a scoring binge, “It was good for them [Yankees batters]. We have been struggling a little bit.”

Petitte at 10-2 has made as good a start as ever before. He spoke of his accomplishments, “I’m glad I’m healthy. I’m glad I’m able to contribute. I’m glad I’m able to keep us in games.” His impressive record has caused his name to be mentioned as a possible member of the A.L. All-Star squad. Pettitte said the honor would please him, “It’s been nine years since my last one. It’s out of my hand.”

The Yankees starter hurled six innings. He surrendered three runs (a two-run homer by Jose Bautista in the first and a lead-off homer by Alex Gonzalez in the sixth. Petitte only gave up five hits and one walk. He retired 14 straight batters from the first through the fifth innings. Petitte has not pitched less than five innings in any of his 16 starts in 2010.

Petitte did not only do the only impressive pitching for the Yanks. Dustin Mosley made an auspicious debut with the club by retiring all six batters he faced in the seventh and eighth innings. The 28 year-old righty pitched for Angels from 2006-9 but missed 151 games due to injuries during the past two seasons. Manager Joe Girardi was impressed by the newcomer, “Thge ground balls, the strikes, the efficiency, hopefully, he can play a role for us.”

The 24 year-old, Seattle hurler, has become one of the stellar starters in the American League. Hernandez made his debut in the majors on August 4, 2005 at the age of 19 years and 118 days. He was the youngest pitcher in the majors since Jose Rijo made his first appearance with the Yankees in 1984. The Venezuelan native was drafted by Seattle in 2002 at the age of 16 as an international free agent.

Hernandez completed his best year in the majors in 2009. He was second to Zack Greinke in the A.L. Cy Young Award voting after compiling a 19-5 mark. Despite his seeming mediocre won/loss record this year (6-5), Hernandez has pitched quite well, especially in his last several starts.

Hernandez threw a complete game, giving up only two hits and three walks against the Yankees in his first start at the current Yankee Stadium. Mark Teixeira doubled to lead-off the third and Curtis Granderson doubled to lead-off the following inning. The double by Teixeira extended his consecutive game hitting streak to 11.  Hernandez fanned 11 Yankees batters, his season-high. After the contest, Hernandez told reporters, “I threw a lot of strikes. Everything was working.”

Wednesday’s start was the third straight in which Hernandez has gone nine innings. In those three games, he has given up a total of only three earned runs. He has hurled at least eight frames in five of his last six outings. He has lasted at least six innings in 15 of his 17 starts this season.

Although Yankees starter Javier Vazquez did not pitch a bad game, he was not equal to his counterpart from Seattle. In six innings, he gave up three runs and six hits. He walked two, hit one batter and struck out eight. He admitted, “I made two mistakes in location to [Milton] Bradley (solo homer to lead-off the second) and to [Michael] Saunders (solo homer to lead-off the third).

The home run ball accounted for four additional runs by the Mariners off the Yankees relievers. Russell Branyan hit a two-run homer in the seventh and Michael Saunders hit his second of the game for two more runs in the ninth.

Seattle returns for the final game of the series on Thursday afternoon. The Yanks then play a three game series of day encounters during the July 4 weekend.

Sabathia, unlike many other pitchers, finds a hot and humid day to be agreeable, “I feel a lot better when it’s hot like that. I don’t have to work as hard to get my arm loose.”

As the ace of the staff, Sabathia is often matched against the ace of the opposing team. He has faced Roy Halladay and Sunday was the second time this year that he faced Johan Santana. This is not something that concerns Sabathia, “I’m not going out facing those guys; I’m facing thee lineups.”

Sabathia, the workhorse of the Yankees starting five, has been a boon to the bullpen. He has pitched at least seven innings and thrown at least 100 pitches in nine of his 15 starts. The starter shut out the Mets during a season-high eight innings, accomplished twice before. He scattered four hits and walked two batters. In only one inning, the seventh, did two batters reach base. Girardi said he considered sending Sabathia out in the ninth as the starter only threw 100 pitches, but “the rain [a 22 minute rain delay] made it easier to make a decision.”

Closer Mariano Rivera retired all three batters he faced in the final inning to keep the shut out intact.

The crucial at bat in the contest was that of Mark Teixeira in the third. After Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher each reached base via a single, Teixeira took a 1-1 pitch from Johan Santana deep into the left field stands for his fifth career grand slam home run.

After the previous day’s Yanks victory, Yankees manager Joe Girardi spoke about Teixeira’s game tying home run, “Maybe this is the start of a long streak.” Although his batting average, .226, has not greatly improved, the Yankees first baseman has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games and scored in 11 of his last 13.

Girardi does not believe Teixeira’s current batting average is reflective of his ability or importance to the club, “He’s such an impactful player. For us, it’s just a matter of time before he gets hot and carries the team.” Girardi also expressed admiration for Teixeira’s calm demeanor and his consistently positive attitude, “His personality is consistent every day. It’s hard to tell what he did. That’s what you like. He’s a very easy player to manage.”

Sabathia, Sunday’s starter, is also impressed by the day’s star batter, “Tex is a pro. I think he knew that at some point he would come out of this [slump].”

The victory of the Yankees coupled with Florida’s defeat of the Tampa Rays gave the Yankees the undisputed first place position in the American League East and the best won/loss record in the majors. Inter-league play will continue next week. The Yankees will be on the West Coast to play the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers before returning to the Bronx to face Seattle on June 29.

This was not the first meeting of the two young and heralded starters. They last faced one another on May 22, the second game of the Subway Series at Citi Field. The earlier contest had the exact opposite result as the Mets were victors, 5-3.

Jose Reyes led off the game with his 16^th career lead-off homer. In the third with one out and Henry Blanco on first, Reyes again homered to right field. These three scored were the last gotten by the Mets on Saturday. Mets manager Jerry Manuel played his sparkplug at shortstop, “He’s a dynamic player, has a great deal of energy, exciting. He’s a very charismatic player.” After hitting the two homers, Reyes was retired on a strikeout and a grounder to first. Yanks skipper Joe Girardi commented, “The guy who really hurt him was Reyes and he [Hughes] adjusted.”

Hughes gave up only one other hit, a single by Jason Bay in the second, in addition to the homers by Reyes in his seven innings on the mound. Girardi credited Hughes’s success to his increased confidence, “He [Hughes] knows what he has to do. He’s a guy who’s gotten more confidence as time’s gone by. He pitched in those tough games last year where there was not a lot of room for error.”

The young hurler, who will only reach 24 years of age on June 24, spoke in agreement with his manager regarding the increased confidence he got from his work in the bullpen in 2009, “I feel like it [relief work last year] helped me a lot. That’s [confidence] the only thing I take away from last year. I have confidence in my stuff. I challenge the hitters.”

As only the second American League pitcher to achieve double digit victory totals, Hughes was asked about playing in next month’s All-Star game. He responded, “It definitely would be cool.” Although never a fan of the Angels, he lived 10 minutes from the ballpark where this year’s All-Star game will be played. First baseman Mark Teixeira admiringly said of Hughes, “We expected him to have some ups and downs, but he hasn’t.”

Mike Pelfrey, 26, ended a five decision win streak with the loss on Saturday. He only exceeded the five runs he surrendered once before this season. The result of his start on Saturday was very different then the one in May, but not unlike his only previous start at the current Yankee Stadium last year. On June 14, 2009, Pelfrey gave up nine runs and nine hits in three innings. He has only given up more than the five earned runs this start in one game this season.

Manuel still feels very confident of his 26 year-old starter, “I think that he’s been elevating some of his pitches. He is still a young pitcher, who, over the course of a season, and in his career, will hit small bumps. He just has to look back on them and get better…The longer these guys stay at this level, the more confidence they have that they can go through bad times and come back and perform.”

The two-run homer by Teixeira to tie the game at 3 in the third and the homer by Curtis Granderson in the next inning that decided the game’s outcome. Teixeira has hit in 9 of his last 11 contests. Granderson has hit four in his last 17 games.

Mets skipper Jerry Manuel spoke with respect of the 35 year-old starter, “To see him get through six innings with that very good lineup was very impressive. He looked liked he’d never flinch.” Yankees manager Joe Girardi saw no differences between the two shutout performances of Takahashi, “I thought he was pretty similar to the last time.”

Catcher Rod Barajas, who was behind the plate the entire game, assessed the importance of Takahashi in the rotation, “He’s shown us that he can handle any situation. He’s an unbelievable asset for us to have.” Takahashi raised his won/loss mark to 6-2 and lowered his ERA to 3.13.

Javier Vazquez, the Yankees starter, continued his mastery of the cross-town rivals, but received the loss. Vazquez threw seven innings for the fourth consecutive game. The only run off Vazquez came in the first. David Wright smacked a two-out double to left and crossed the plate after a single to right by first baseman Ike (son of former Yankees reliever Ron) Davis. The hit was the first Vazquez had given up to a left-handed batter the previous 30 lefty at bats. In 13 innings against the Mets this season, Vazquez has only surrendered four hits and two earned runs.

Vazquez, who was much maligned early in the season, has pitched very effectively in seven of his last eight appearances. In his last four starts, Vazquez has pitched 28 innings and only given up seven earned runs and 14 base hits.

Both clubs are having excellent seasons are in the running for spots in the playoffs. The Mets victory was its eighth straight. The team only trails Atlanta by a half game in the National League East. The Mets and Padres, with records of 39-28, are tied for the N.L. Wild Card spot. Angel Pagan, who with a two-run double in the eighth gave his team breathing room, spoke with great enthusiasm of his club, “We believe in team. There’s no doubt we believe in the talent. We have right now. Everybody’s pumped. Everybody is doing their job. We’re playing great baseball, so what else can you ask for? It’s fun when you win.

The Yanks are tied for first place in the American League East with the best record in the majors. When asked about the three consecutive losses, Girardi replied, “We’re not hitting right now. The last three days, we haven’t swung the bat pretty well. You can’t jump off a bridge. This is a long season. We’re tied for first with a 41-26 record.” The pitching duels may very well continue on Saturday and Sunday. Phil Hughes and Mike Pelfrey, with identical 9-1 marks, go on Saturday. Aces of the staffs, CC Sabathia and Johan Santana meet on Sunday afternoon.

Yankees starter Andy Pettitte continued his daytime undefeated streak. The lefthander hurled seven innings and gave up only one run, a lead-off, solo homer by Jhonny Peralta in the second. Pettitte surrendered only three other hits and did not walk batter. He has not issued a walk in his last two starts.The last baserunner against Pettitte got on with one out in the third. Pettitte retired the final 14 batters he faced to earn his 236 career victory. The total ties the career mark of Yankees icon Whitey Ford. Pettitte said of tying Ford, “That’s awesome. That’s really special. He’s been a huge supporter of mine. We have a great relationship.”

The 37 year-old starter was asked if he was near retirement or intended to continue into his 40′s. He responded as he had previously, “I can’t see myself playing a lot longer. I can’t think long term. I don’t have personal goals.” He explained that his on-the-field performances will not be the deciding factor in determining when he will stop playing”It’ll be when I feel I have to be with my family more. I put a lot of stock in what my wife says. She’s there.”

As in the previous three contests of this series, the seventh inning saw an eruption of runs that made the outcome clear. Thirty-five of the 57 runs scored in the four games crossed the plate in the seventh inning. The Bronx Bombers lived up to the nickname during the game, especially in the seventh.

Brett Gardner led off with a single and was thrown out trying to steal second. Jeter and then Curtis Granderson singled. After a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, Mark Teixeira was walked intentionally. A study of past history by the Cleveland skipper Manny Acta could have prevented history from being repeated. Rodriguez drove the ball into monument Park in deep center field for his 20^th career grand slam. This at bat was the seventh for A-Rod after Teixeira was walked to load the sacks. Unbelievably, Rodriguez is 5 for 5 with three of hits being homers. He also drew a walk and hit a sacrifice fly. He garnered 18 runs batted in the seven plate appearances. Rodriguez drove in two other runs for a season-high of six in the contest.

The second leading hitter in the A.L., Robinson Cano followed with a solo home run. The home run gave Cano a team-high 11 homers and increased his team-high hitting streak to 14. Cano is batting .450 during the 14 games, 27 for 60. He has driven in 17 runs during the streak. Cano’s two hits raised his multi-hit games to 24.

Derek Jeter upped his consecutive game hitting streak to eight games. During that stretch, he has batted .486 (17 for 35). This was also his eighth straight multi-hit game against Cleveland, a Yankee record.