Burnett sparkling; Swisher still hot, X not

Two outta three ain't bad, eh?

The free-agent catch gave them that — and more — Tuesday night, flirting with a no-hitter before settling for a 7-2 victory over the AL champions that kept him unbeaten since signing an $82.5 million, five-year deal.

"I had good movement on everything. I was putting the ball where I wanted," Burnett said after taking his no-hit bid into the seventh inning. "It definitely could have happened. But it wasn't meant to be."
[...]
Swisher, obtained from the Chicago White Sox in an offseason trade, added a solo homer in the fourth before Garza settled down to keep the Rays in the game.

Swisher now has 4 home runs without playing every game. He also has a 0.00 ERA with 1 K. Would it surprise anyone if he parachutted in from a Stealth Bomber flyover tomorrow? The issue for Swisher was going to be about where and when he was going to play. Initially, Girardi envisioned him playing 3 games a week. After the white-hot start, he was definitely earning much more than that (especially with Matsui struggling).

Except now, the situation's changed as the X-man might be hurt:

Xavier Nady had a “sharp pain” in his right elbow in the seventh inning and was taken out of the game.
[...]
Nady had Tommy John surgery on Sept. 29, 2001. He was injured tonight in the seventh inning when Carlos Pena singled and he threw the ball back to the infield.

“I’m definitely kind of nervous,” Nady said. “But I have to be optimistic. Hopefully it’s scar tissue breaking off. … It was very painful.”

No one wants to see Nady injured, but the Yanks depth (remember all of the "should they trade Nady or Swisher?" stuff? Here's why they probably didn't, aside from not getting anything that they liked!) I am guessing Scott Boras will simply put Nady on his "do not call" list if Nady needs TJS again. Hopefully, it's nothing serious, however, and Nady can be back on the field soon.

I will say this about Swisher: Sure, he needs to keep hitting (or pitching), but his wide-open personality is a welcome addition to this team. Nady is another Abreu-like guy; quiet, solid, professional, boring as hell. Swisher, plus a guy like Sabathia, brings a new dynamic to the clubhouse and I think it's great. Of course, the air will get sucked out of the room once ARod returns.