"Joe Girardi continued to insist yesterday with an edge in his voice that A.J. Burnett's vulgar comment leaving the mound Saturday night wasn't directed at him.

However, when it comes to Burnett's spot in the starting rotation, which will be shaved from six to five a week from tonight, Girardi said Burnett's veteran status and $16.5 million salary mean nothing.

"He needs to pitch better, plain and simple," Girardi said of the struggling right-hander, who surrendered seven runs in 1 2/3 innings Saturday night in a 9-4 loss to the Twins. "We are in a six-man rotation until after Baltimore. There are no locks. You have to perform. We need to have him bounce back."

Burnett's next outing is Friday night against the Orioles at Camden Yards, and he needs to bounce back big because today he ranks as the sixth man in a six-man rotation. The Yankees plan to revert to a five-man rotation after playing five games in four days in Baltimore ending Aug. 29. And it is not out of the question the Yankees acquire a starter before Sept. 1.

In his past nine starts, Burnett is 1-4 with a 7.12 ERA, allowing 61 hits and 25 walks in 49 1/3 innings."