Nova and Hughes To Be Skipped vs Baltimore

Via Mark Feinsand:

The Yankees had already skipped Ivan Nova in the rotation following Wednesday's rainout, keeping Phil Hughes lined up for his start Thursday.

Following Thursday's postponement, Girardi announced that Hughes would also be skipped, leaving CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte on regular rest this weekend against the Orioles.

Hughes and Nova will be available in the bullpen for the next couple days, then Hughes will pitch Tuesday and Nova Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.

With this news it looks like those rain outs were a blessing is disguise.

Injury Updates: Jeter, Tex, Granderson, Hughes, Nunez,

Jon Heyman is reporting that Derek Jeter, Mark Texieira and Curtis Granderson could all be back by May 1st:

Yankees people are mentioning May 1 as potentially the key date in their season. The team's medical people are suggesting, at least in behind-the-scenes conversations, that May 1 could be a target date for the return of three of their missing stars: Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson.

May 1 might be optimistic, and a Yankees person suggested that date may assume no more setbacks. Jeter still needs to go through several steps before he can return, starting with taking grounders. The first time he began taking grounders this spring it was still a few weeks before he appeared in a spring game. Understandably, the Yankees plan to proceed cautiously with their iconic shortstop. He is eligible to come off the disabled list Saturday, as they had hoped he could make it back by the end of the first week of the season even after opening day was ruled out.

The way things are going with this team, I wouldn't be surprised if all three were not on the field for that Astros series, but keep your fingers crossed.

As for Eduardo Nunez, he may be sidelined for a little while after getting him on the arm in yesterday's game:

This is how Eduardo Nunez’s day ended at Comerica Park yesterday.

As his teammates filed out of the visiting clubhouse after their 8-3 loss to the Tigers, the Yankees shortstop struggled to put on his jacket. Finally, after several frustrating tries, catcher Chris Stewart had to come over and help Nunez slide his aching right arm into the sleeve of his coat.

It’s bad enough when older Yankees are injured, but it’s really bad when young Yankees get hurt. Nunez was hit in the right biceps by an 88-mph fastball from Tigers starter Doug Fister in the fourth inning and Nunez fell to the ground in terrible pain. He eventually had to be helped off the field. X-rays were negative and the injury is being labeled a bruise.

“I was scared, I thought it was broken, I felt pain all down my arm,’’ Nunez said. “The pain was so bad. I felt much better when I heard the X-rays were negative, and now we’ll see how it feels.’’

Nunez said he does not expect to be sidelined long, but considering the trouble he had putting on his jacket, don’t expect him to play today against the Tigers.

Finally, some actual decent news, Phil Hughes will be activated today:

Phil Hughes will be activated from the disabled list this afternoon. It’s one of those rare moments when a player coming off the DL earlier than expected isn’t necessarily good news. It’s not necessarily bad news – Hughes is healthy, was just expected to get one more tune up — but the move has more to do with an overworked pitching staff than overwhelmingly dominant pitcher.

Granderson, Nova & Hughes are Available

Yankees Open To Trading Granderson & Hughes

Well, there's always this option to replace Granderson:

ESPN's and XM's Jim Bowden really feels like the Yankees may still sign Josh Hamilton. Brian Cashman is once again doing his laying in the weeds thing, before he possibly strikes, Bowden believes.

During Day 1 on Monday, I went on Bowden and Casey Stern's XM MLB Network radio show and, in the midst of our conversation, we came up with something that made some sense. At least, to me.

If the Yankees were to trade Curtis Granderson for a package of young players, they could turn around and use the money they might have spent on free-agent-to-be Granderson on ... Hamilton. Essentially, they would be making a deal of Granderson for Hamilton and the package of young players. Seems to make some sense.

The Yankees do have some doubts about how Hamilton could handle New York. So perhaps Hamilton isn't the guy in the ultimate scenario, but it seems obvious that this is one day the Yankees could make a big splash.

Cashman later appeared on Bowden and Stern's XM show, Bowden asked Cashman, "Is it financially possible to stay within $189M and sign Josh Hamilton?" Bowden even added, "Without trading Curtis Granderson?"

"We have a dynamic, creative front office and ownership," Cashman said. "We are always try to do everything that makes sense in our world."

Obviously there are many legitimate concerns tied to Hamilton, and that's before you consider the huge contract he wants. But when he's hitting the guy is an absolute beast so it's at least something interesting to consider.

Hughes Talks About His Huge Game 3 Star

From Chad Jennings:

“There’s always pressure that comes with every start,” Hughes said. “I don’t really feel like I can, you know, sort of feel any added pressure just because of the circumstances. I just have to go out there and pitch, that’s all it boils down to. Not really worry about being down 0 2, that Verlander is on the mound, that we don’t have our captain. Those sort of things are going to be wasted energy, and all I really want to focus on is the Detroit Tigers lineup and doing the absolute best job I can do.”

Hughes’ two starts at Comerica Park this season were a pretty good snapshot of the highs and lows of his yaer. In August, he couldn’t get out of the fifth inning. In June, he threw the first complete game of his career.

“You can’t really look at those two starts and take a whole lot away from them coming into this start,” Hughes said. “I just have to hope that I have good stuff and good command and attack the strike zone like I normally do, and I think we’ll have some good success.”

...

“I remember I actually started off a little bit slow in that (complete game) start,” he said. “It was kind of a struggle for me to get going — almost similar to my last start against Baltimore (in the division series) — and then I remember I got stronger as the game went on and I was able to command the ball a little bit better. So hopefully (tonight) there’s a little bit of a similarity in the fact that I can command the ball and hopefully command it early and often. It’s a tough lineup, and I’m going to have to be on top of my game, but I have confidence that I will be, and I look forward to it.”

—

“As a pitcher sitting on the bench, I am not used to seeing [the offense struggle like this] either,” Hughes said. “We are a team that is a high-powered offense. We get a lot of home runs and things like that. But anytime you are going through these struggles, as pitchers, we take it as we have to step up and do a better job and put up a bunch of zeros because we know we can scratch and claw and put together a couple of runs. As long as our pitchers do a stand up job, we know we will have a chance to win the game.

“I think it is a challenge for our pitchers and we’ll have to do a really good job and have the confidence that we will score at least a few runs, and hopefully a bunch, and turn this thing around.”

I don't have to explain how important this game is for the Yankees and Hughes himself. A win tonight with CC going in game 4 could turn the series around. Sure, it's a very tall order, but this is sports and stranger things have happened.

Let's go Hughes, make this a series.

Wow

Warning: Don't Get Your Phil Hughes Hopes Up

So Phil Hughes didn't get bombed yesterday, against a team with 9 wins and the 4th lowest run total in the AL, and now suddenly everyone thinks the guy has figured it out. Let's look at some headlines, shall we?

- Ken Davidoff says, the "Yankees should keep Hughes in rotation."

- John Harper believes that Hughes is turning things around and turning heads with his newly found velocity. (OMG HE THREW 95 MPH!!! OMG!!!)

- Sweeny Murti also thinks Hughes may have started to "figure it out".

Seriously guys? Hughes allows 3 runs over 6.2 to a terrible team and now this icon of underachievement has "figured it out"? Give me a break. The knee-jerkery in this town, whether positive or negative, is absolutely insane.

Call me when Hughes has a good month, or how about just two good outings in a row against teams that actually know how to score runs. Then, maybe we can start to get excited about the right-hander. But until that happens, I wouldn't get my hopes up.

Yanks Want To See Better Results From Pettitte

From Sean Brennan:

Andy Pettitte is scheduled to make at least one more minor-league start either Saturday or Sunday. Where that next start occurs and whether that will be his final tune-up before his return to pinstripes is to be determined.

“They have to look at the schedule and see which town fits him the best,” Joe Girardi said. “We know Scranton is on the road a lot, so will it be home in Trenton? They’ll look at weather, too.”

Girardi wasn’t sure if Pettitte will need more than that one start before he joins the Yankees.

In Pettitte’s last outing Monday, he allowed five earned runs and 10 hits. Girardi was asked if Pettitte’s testimony in the Roger Clemens perjury trial on Tuesday might have been a distraction.

“I spoke to him before he pitched,” Girardi said. “He didn’t really lead me to believe that it was going to affect the way he was going to throw the baseball, but I’m sure it was on his mind. I don’t know how it wouldn’t be.”

Can't blame the Yankees for wanting to see a little more from Pettitte here But at the same time he said he was ready and Phil Hughes is an auto-loss every time he touches the mound.

Pettitte To Start For Double-A Trenton on Wednesday

From George A. King III:

Andy Pettitte is no longer just a hopeful wish to give the Yankees rotation a boost.

The 39-year-old un-retired lefty is scheduled to start for Double-A Trenton on Wednesday in New Jersey. It will be Pettitte’s fourth minor league outing, and he likely will throw 80 to 85 pitches. After that the Yankees likely would want Pettitte to come close to the 100-pitch mark in his final two minor league games.

“It’s getting closer to reality now,’’ Girardi said of Pettitte’s re-entry into the Yankees’ rotation after sitting out last season. “Sixty-eight pitches [Friday in an extended spring training game], you are getting closer. Andy was a guy who was right around 100 for us anyway.

“That’s realistic to look at three more minor league starts and make a real evaluation of where he is at,’’ said Girardi, who will have to remove somebody from the rotation to make room for Pettitte.

The sooner Andy can get back to the rotation, the better. With Hughes and Garcia throwing the ball as poorly as they have the rotation could use all the help they can get.

Sherman: Hughes Will Be The 5th Starter

From Joel Sherman:

We can pretend there is a competition going on for the Yankees’ No. 5 starter spot, but that is what it is. Pretend. The WWE stages more realistic battles.

The Yankees are saying it is Freddy Garcia vs. Phil Hughes. But their general manager is also saying this: He believes Hughes is, right now, a top-of-the-rotation starter. That has not been said about Garcia since, oh, about 2001.

So this is a competition only because the Yankees want to sell you that this is a competition. They do not want a prideful veteran in Garcia to be offended. They do not want Hughes, who showed up out of shape last year, to feel he is being handed anything. And with six weeks to Opening Day, the potential for injury or stumble means the Yankees see no reason to publicly declare even a front-runner, much less a winner.

But understand this: The competition is rigged. If it is close, Hughes wins. If it is advantage Garcia, but only slightly, Hughes wins. Hughes can only lose this by doing what he did last spring, having his fastball go on a mysterious hiatus. The early signs are Hughes’ better dedication to offseason conditioning has led to less gut and more heat.

Normally anything in February or March should be ignored, but it was obvious in his first live batting practice session yesterday that Hughes’ arm was quick and his fastball had life.

“It is a heavier ball,” Russell Martin said. “He changed his body. He looks more explosive. He has more arm speed, which leads to a better breaking ball and more deception on the changeup.”

Sherman may be right, but to me, I think this article is more of a product of a slow Tuesday in New York sports than anything based in reality--or at least a reality that can actually be based on one BP session on February 27th. Like Sherman himself said, "normally anything in February or March should be ignored".

If Hughes had ever met, or at least come close to expectations I might feel otherwise, but sadly that has not been the case. He's had many opportunities to prove himself to this team as a starter, and he's failed virtually every time. Between that, and the fact that Garcia was solid for the Yanks last year, Garcia at least deserves a fighting chance at that fifth spot.

Again, Sherman could be right because we all know a lot more goes into these types of decisions than just X's and O's. The Yankees might not want to continue to look bad over all the hype surrounding this guy and do everything in their power to get him back in the rotation for yet another chance. Though, if they do that despite a strong spring from Freddy they'll deserve all those April losses thanks to their forced decision.

This quote from Brian Cashman makes that seem like a strong possibility:

“Aside from last year [Hughes] was viewed, and not just by us, as one of the better young arms in the game; with success to prove it. He was a dominant reliever for us in 2009 and an All-Star as a starter in 2010. Why would I judge him by last year when he was injured? It feels like everyone wants to take him down a peg. I think he is a top-of-the-rotation starter.”

If it were up to me I'd base this decision on performance and not saving face. What about you?

Garcia and Hughes to Battle for 5th Spot in Rotation

From Dan Martin:

With one less choice to make now that A.J. Burnett is a Pirate, Joe Girardi’s decisions become clearer.

Yesterday, the manager indicated that Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia would likely battle for the final spot in the rotation and the batting order and bullpen will look a lot like they did toward the end of last year.

“You hope everyone is throwing well and that you have to make a tough decision,” Girardi said. “You go with an open mind; CC [Sabathia] is the Opening Day starter and go from there. All these guys are expected to be starters. Phil Hughes pitched well in both areas, but we envision him as a starter. Once again, we have a six-man rotation and we’ve got to whittle it down to five.”

Hughes is running out of chances quickly, so it would be great to see him step up and win this spot. That said, as a betting man I wouldn't lay a dollar on that happening.

Whither the Fifth Starter?

This post is semi-syndicated from The Yankee Analysts.

I cannot fathom a scenario in which A.J. Burnett is a Yankee come the spring … a palpable scenario, at least. Over the past two seasons, a total of eighty-six starting pitchers have tossed at least 300 IP. Of those, Burnett ranks 85th in ERA, 84th in FIP, and 69th in xFIP (progress!). The pseudo-heroics of the 2009 World Series are a distant memory at this point in time, and his "electric stuff" and "potential" would be more impressive if he was 25 instead of 35.

Why, then, would any other team take him? He has demonstrated the ability to remain durable over the last several seasons, and he can likely be had for pennies on the dollar ... in a market where Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang were signed for two years and eight figures. Additionally, Derek Lowe was moved for a fringe prospect and roughly $5 MM in savings. Carlos Zambrano was moved for a solid back of the rotation type and a bit of salary relief. This, at the very last, tells us that Burnett is movable – and not necessarily at the rate of a true sunk cost.

The real issue should be the roles of Garcia and Hughes. At this juncture, I’d prefer to see Garcia starting. While his upside is certainly limited, I believe a reasonable baseline would see him as a fine fifth starter. I don’t see much of a deviation, either, barring injury. That sort of dependability is worth quite a bit more than most realize, and it is a welcome addition to any rotation.

What of Hughes, then? I would like to see him building up arm strength in the minors. He has certainly had success at every level, but it’s worth noting that he has very few innings in the upper minutes. It’s a good venue for him to refine his curve and command, and it would allow him to step into the rotation in the event of an injury or ineffectiveness. I suspect that this will not be the case, and that Spring Training will award him every opportunity to join the rotation ... or end up in the bullpen. In my mind, though, that would be a mistake.

Follow me on Twitter - @DomenicLanza

Hughes Talks About 2012

From Mark Feinsand:

Joe Girardi says he fully expects the 25-year-old to be in the Yankees’ rotation next season, but Hughes told the Daily News Wednesday that he knows he must deliver to keep his job. Part of that is coming into camp fitter than ever.

“I’m at a point where the patience is running out,” Hughes said during a telephone interview. “I’m not a prospect anymore and I’m not 21 years old anymore. You’re gauged on what kind of year you had, not what you’re capable of doing.”

...

“I’m certainly not at the point in my career where I can come in and go through the motions, and if I give up eight runs in an outing, it’s all good because it’s spring training,” Hughes said. “ For me, coming off a bad season, I’m trying to do as much as I can to make sure that I’m ready to go when spring training rolls around.”

The first step was a return last month to Athletes’ Performance Institute in Los Angeles, where he trained in 2008-09. Hughes reported a few pounds overweight last season, and while he doesn’t attribute his velocity or injury issues to conditioning, he couldn’t rule out a link, either.

“It’s hard to say, but if there’s even a 1% chance that it did, then I’m doing everything I can now to make sure that doesn’t happen again,” Hughes said.

...

“It’s always good to hear your manager say that he expects you to be in that spot,” Hughes said. “But at the end of the day, if you don’t do what you’re expected to do, there’s going to be somebody that will.”

It's time for Hughes to really take that step forward and I'm glad to hear he's working hard and making sure he comes into camp in shape. The sad part is that he wasn't in shape last year, which is unacceptable and probably should have been talked about more when it was an issue. Either way, it's going to more than just losing a few pounds to get Hughes back on track.

Yanks To Stick Hughes in Pen For Playoffs

From Marc Carig:

Roles in the Yankees’ bullpen have been defined for most of the season, and with the postseason looming, manager Joe Girardi has no reason to change things up now. Still, Hughes will be part of the Yankees’ relief corps in the first round of the playoffs, which begin on Friday.

“We already have a great bullpen, so I don’t expect to go out there and be a late-inning guy or anything like that,” said Hughes, who worked primarily out of the bullpen in 2009, though he has started ever since. “But if the situation calls for it, and they need a guy, then I’ll be ready to go.”

I guess a little extra bullpen depth can't hurt, but I don't really see him having any kind of significant role.

Hughes May Not Start Today

From Bryan Hoch:

Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes continues to feel the effects of back spasms and is considered questionable to make a start in Wednesday's doubleheader against the Rays.

After consulting with head athletic trainer Gene Monahan, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that he was unsure if Hughes would start the first game of a day-night twin bill as originally announced.

"I'm not sure if he can make his start [Wednesday]," Girardi said. "That's the report. I'm still going to have a little hope that he can. We'll see how he feels in the morning and then we'll go from there."

...

"We're just going to wait," Girardi said. "If [Hughes] can't start the first game, he can't start. We're going to figure it out."

Hoch also said that if Hughes can't go it could mean that we get to see the MLB debut of either Andrew Brackman or Dellin Betances.

Hughes Won't Start Monday

From Chad Jennings:

Phil Hughes has been scratched from Monday’s start after experiencing lower back spasms yesterday. A.J. Burnett will start in his place, and Hughes is expected to start Tuesday or Wednesday.

“It was bad yesterday,” Hughes said. “It’s a lot better today.”

Hughes will continue to get treatment and, according to him, “sit in a hot tub and sweat to death.”

Rotation Decision Made, But It's A Secret

From Josh Thomson:

The biggest story to come out of Joe Girardi’s press conference this morning had nothing to do with today’s game. Girardi told the media that a decision has been made on which of the Yankees’ six starters will be pulled from the rotation, but he won’t make the announcement until after today’s series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays.

“I’ll probably have it for you after the game,” Girardi said. “I just have to make sure that I tell everyone involved.”

While anything can happen, the expectation is that the decision will come down to pulling either A.J. Burnett or Phil Hughes from the rotation. The odd man out will head to the bullpen.

What's with the cliffhanger, Joe?

Anyway, Hughes is probably the one headed to the pen. A.J. pitched better than Hughes his last time out, has a bigger contract, and has already shown Girardi and the Yanks that he can be an effective reliever.

Garcia Ready To Return

From Tim Bontemps:

The Yankees may have one too many starting pitchers, but Freddy Garcia doesn't think he should be the odd man out.

"I've been doing my job all year, so I probably deserve to be in the rotation," Garcia said last night.

Yes he does.

When Garcia returns to the major league club, the question will now become which of the Yankees starters -- Garcia, Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova, Bartolo Colon and A.J. Burnett -- will remain in the rotation with CC Sabathia following the Yankees' series at Baltimore this weekend.

"It's not gonna be a problem this week, but I don't know what they [want to] do after we leave Baltimore," Garcia said. "We'll see what happens."

..."[The finger] was fine," Garcia said. "No problems. I'm ready for Saturday."

This should be interesting. Obviously, the odd man out should be Burnett, but his contract might just be enough to keep him in the rotation. We'll see what happens, but it would be a shame if Nova, Hughes or Garcia lost their rotation spot because of the Yankees blind faith in A.J. Burnett.

Garcia To Miss Next Start With Cut Finger

From NJ.com:

As Phil Hughes threw six strong innings in the Yankees’ 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays today, allowing just two earned runs and striking out six, he was doing so under the perception that he was pitching for his job.

...

But Hughes received a stay on the decision, as did A.J. Burnett and Ivan Nova, last night when Girardi announced that Freddy Garcia had suffered a cut on his finger on his pitching hand that meant he would miss his start Sunday. Garcia was cut in a “kitchen accident.”

“I told everyone I was going to tell them I was going to have a decision tomorrow as far as what we were going to do and sometimes decisions have a way of working their way out,” Girardi said.

The manager learned of the injury earlier in the week, “four or five days ago,” he said today. The Yankees had Garcia throw a bullpen session and then again on flat ground today. The cut prevents Garcia from throwing his splitter so he was taken out of the rotation for now.

So, for now Hughes and AJ stay in the rotation. As for Nova, I'm not even sure why he's mentioned in the article. Of the three, he's the one whose name shouldn't be on the list of potential rotation cuts.

So now what do you do?

Jorge Posada rejoined the lineup today and just happened to have his best game of the year. The switch-hitter went 3-for-5 with a homer (grand slam) and 6 RBI.

Phil Hughes also had his second straight strong start, and he did it against a good team. Hughes went 6, allowing 2 runs on just 4 hits, while striking out 6 and walking 1. That's two starts in a row that are better than anything A.J. Burnett has done for over a month.

The first one is pretty easy to manage. You get the guy some more at-bats and see what happens. If he hits, you play him, and if he doesn't, you don't. But the Hughes decision, especially after Brian Cashman's ridiculous comments earlier today, is much harder to figure out. If it were my call, I'd stick with a six-man rotation one more time through the rotation and see what each of these guys do with their next starts, and go from there.

What would you do? Did Posada hit his way back into the lineup? And should Phil Hughes stay in the rotation?