Editor's note: Brian Edwards has caught fire with his MLB picks in the playoffs, posting an 8-2 record (80%, +670!) since Oct. 12. Don't miss out on his pick pack for tonight!

When A.J. Burnett came into the majors with the Marlins in 1999, he had stud written all over him. The hard-throwing righty was regularly clocked in the mid-90s with a sick curveball.

The thinking was that if Burnett ever developed great command of his pitches, he would be nearly untouchable. In 2001, his nastiness and struggles to locate were both on display when he threw a no-hitter at San Diego. It wasn’t a perfect game, though, because Burnett walked nine batters.

Despite all his potential, Burnett never became the Marlins’ ace in seven seasons with the club. Now some of that can be attributed to injuries, but I found it shocking that a pitcher with such great stuff only had a 49-50 record while playing for the Fish. When they won the 2003 World Series, Burnett was just a cheerleader who was out for the year with an elbow injury.

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After signing a huge contract with the Blue Jays, Burnett produced just 20 wins in his first two seasons. But in 2008, he finally eclipsed the 12-win mark for a season, compiling an 18-10 record while leading the AL in K’s with 231. Burnett parlayed his career year into another hefty contract with the Yankees.

During the regular season in his first year wearing pinstripes, Burnett went 13-9 with a 4.04 ERA. Good stuff, but nothing sensational and certainly not worthy of his enormous contract numbers.

Those were the facts -- until Thursday night, that is. In Game 2 in the Bronx in a must-win for the Yankees, Burnett finally shed all the labels of inconsistency and unreached potential

In short, Burnett threw a gem in the Fall Classic. He worked seven strong innings and gave up just four hits and one earned run. Burnett fanned nine batters. After giving way to Mariano Rivera, the majors’ greatest closer ever took care of the rest.

Rivera got into a jam in the eighth but as usual, he got out of it by inducing a ground ball that turned into a double play. Rivera finished the job in the ninth for his fourth save of these playoffs, knotting the series at 1-1 with a 3-1 win as minus-200 favorites.

Bettors dodging the expensive straight price were able to cash run-line wagers thanks to the two-run victory. The four combined runs easily stayed ‘under’ the nine-run total.

MarkTeixeira and Hedeki Matsui provided the offense with a pair of solo homers off of familiar foe, Pedro Martinez. The former ace of the Red Sox for so many years was solid, but just not good enough on this night. Martinez worked six innings and fanned eight batters, but he gave up six hits and three earned runs.

The World Series now shifts to the City of Brotherly Love for Game 3 on Saturday night at 7:55 p.m. Eastern on Fox. Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened New York as a minus-115 favorite with a total of nine ‘under’ (minus-120). As of Friday night, most books had the Yankees at minus-120 with the total at nine ‘under’ (minus-115). Gamblers can back the Yankees on the run line (minus 1 ½ runs) for a plus-135 return (risk $100 to win $135).

Joe Girardi will give the ball to Andy Pettitte for his 12th career World Series start. The veteran left-hander is 3-4 with a 3.62 in 11 previous starts during the Fall Classic. Pettitte, who went 14-8 with a 4.16 ERA in 32 regular-season starts, is 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in three postseason assignments this year.

Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel will counter Pettitte with another southpaw, Cole Hamels. The 25-year-old hurler has struggled in the playoffs so far, going 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in three outings. However, Hamels was sensational in the postseason last year, posting a 4-0 record and 1.80 ERA in five starts.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--In his first World Series, Alex Rodriguez is 0-for-8 with six strikeouts. Seriously, is anybody surprised by that? I know I’m not. A-Roids has never been a team player and has never thrived when it counts in October. Sure, he was outstanding in the ALDS and ALCS, but wasn’t it about time? The Yankees were steady ring collectors before A-Rod’s circus act arrived in the Bronx. They have no rings since then and it says here that that’s not changing in 2009.

--Philadelphia drew first blood in the series with a 6-1 win Wednesday in Game 1. Cliff Lee worked a complete-game masterpiece, while Chase Utley provided the offense with a pair of homers off of C.C. Sabathia. Gamblers backing the Phillies in Game 1 took home a generous plus-160 payout (risk $100 to win $160), while the seven combined runs stayed ‘under’ the 7 ½-run tally.

--Manuel announced Friday that Joe Blanton will get the starting nod in Game 4 on Sunday night. That means that Lee will pitch on regular rest in Game 5.

--Phillies’ reliever Ryan Madson worked a scoreless inning in the bottom of the eighth, scattering one hit while striking out the side. Closer Brad Lidge has yet to appear in the series.

--The winner of Game 1 (the Phillies) has won the World Series six straight years and 11 of the last 12.

--Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was at Games 1 and 2 of the World Series. But due to his failing health, not many people laid eyes on the 79-year-old Boss.

Brian Edwards can be reached at briane@vegasinsider.com.

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