"New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he is far more concerned with getting embattled starter A.J. Burnett to control his fastball than he is with getting him to control his emotions.

Girardi defended Burnett on Sunday morning, hours after television cameras caught the right-hander cursing as he left the mound in the second inning of a 9-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night.

"A.J.'s not as good at controlling his emotions as some other people," Girardi said on Sunday before the series finale against the Twins. "He's going to wear them on his sleeve. I don't have a problem with it. Everyone else does. I don't."

When Burnett was yanked on Saturday, he turned and could be seen mouthing two curse words. Initially it appeared as though he was speaking to Girardi, but both said after the game that Burnett was directing his anger toward the umpire's strike zone.

"He's been nothing but supportive," Burnett said of Girardi on Saturday night.

But it was the second time this month that Burnett has had an outburst upon being pulled from a game. He stormed off the mound on Aug. 3 and pulled his jersey off as he reached the dugout after being relieved in the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox with a 13-7 lead.

The latest show of emotion brought another series of questions about Burnett's conduct on the mound. Girardi grew testy at times during the exchange with reporters, saying that he knows Burnett's emotions sometimes bring unwanted scrutiny. But he also said he takes them as a sign that Burnett cares about his performance."