“I don’t know about other people, but I’m amazed at what he can do,” Manuel said of Moyer.

So was A. J. Burnett, who was socked for six runs and six hits in three and one-third innings. The Phillies scored four runs off him in the second and two more in the third on back-to-back homers by Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth, before Burnett committed a mental gaffe on his final batter, Chase Utley, when he failed to cover first base.

“That topped it off,” Burnett said.

His line evoked memories of his last start against Philadelphia, in Game 5 of the World Series, when he gave up six runs in two-plus innings. That night, Burnett was pitching on short rest. There was no such built-in explanation Wednesday or, for that matter, his previous two starts. Burnett followed a stout April with an uneven May, and his June has been miserable: 0-3 with a 9.00 earned run average and six homers allowed.

Survival is a natural instinct for Moyer, well versed in the art of grinding on nights when his repertory is diminished  more diminished than usual, as others might say. Developing that skill has taken time for Burnett, who has exponentially better stuff than Moyer but at times is lacking in cunning or guile.

Burnett’s fastball command abandoned him early Wednesday, and he could never recover. Trying to glean a positive from his night, Burnett mentioned Moyer, 14 years his senior. If Moyer could rebound from one of the worst starts of his career, then so could he.

“You look at Jamie’s last start and what he did, and then he came out here the next time,” Burnett said. “We’ve got to have short memories, and I’ve got work to do in two days and I plan on getting out of this drought.”

INSIDE PITCH

Alex Rodriguez returned to his customary cleanup spot in the Yankees’ lineup, but as the designated hitter, not the third baseman. Rodriguez, who went 1 for 3 with a walk and drove in the Yankees’ final run, said he hoped to be back at third base by Monday, when the Yankees begin a week of games in National League parks and lose the designated hitter. He said he agreed with Manager Joe Girardi that his lateral movement was not yet where it needs to be. “I think over the next couple of days, I’ll have a better idea,” said Rodriguez, who plans to intensify his side-to-side movement Thursday. ... Cito Culver reinforced his desire to begin his professional career quickly by passing on his scholarship to the University of Maryland. Culver, the Yankees’ first-round draft pick, told The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle that he was flying Wednesday to the Yankees’ complex in Tampa, Fla. Agreeing to a contract would be the next logical step, but Culver cannot officially sign it until after he graduates high school on Sunday.