Downright Philthy

Phil Hughes recorded his first career save last night, which prompted me to put together this Phil appreciation thread.

Since being sent to the bullpen on May 8th, Hughes' numbers have been other worldly:

1-0 W-L, 24 1/3 IP, 12H, 28:5 K:BB, .69 WHIP, .73 ERA

The Yankees have been searching for the famed "Bridge to Mariano" since moving Joba Chamberlain to the rotation, and Hughes has been a revelation. His control, stuff, and overall presence on the mound have advanced by leaps and bounds as he has gained confidence, showing why he has been such a highly touted prospect since being drafted in 2004.

Much like Joba, we still support using Hughes in a starting role over the long haul. In this situation, however, he is being used in the best way for the team to win now in a time when dead weight like Andy Pettitte is clogging his spot in the starting five. That's right, I just called a "Four Ring" player dead weight. Suck on that 35-50 year old demographic.

Can you hear that?

That roaring sound you hear is the Joba-to-the-bullpen bandwagon gaining steam. Although the bullpen and offense saved him from the loss, Joba Chamberlain was ugly to watch yesterday.

Chamberlain's fastball was reaching 92 as he was smacked around Yankee Stadium by the Blue Jays on Sunday to the tune of nine hits over 3.2 innings. It is rumored that Mike Francesa was so excited to see this that he choked on the arm of the child he was eating.

Unfortunately for Francesa and his constituents, the Yankees now have bigger fish to fry in regards to the starting rotation. Chien Ming Wang was placed on the DL this weekend, apparently with a genuine injury - unlike his last DL stint, which was purely for sucking donkey anus. The Yankees must find a replacement in the rotation for the duration of his stay on the DL, which will presumably mute the Joba-as-a-setup-man contingent for a while.

Although I see it clear that Chamberlain should be in the rotation, the fact that he has struggled cannot be ignored. His consistent failure to put away hitters, especially yesterday, has been unbelievably frustrating to watch. Growing pains are expected and tolerated in other cities, but this isn't one of them. Maybe skipping him a start before the All Star break could help Joba regroup, but only time will tell if the loss of Wang prevents that from happenning.

Just a reminder: even though the uneducated fan continues to scream from the mountain tops that Joba should be setting up for Mo, it seems as though the Yankees are 15 games over .500, and just a game back of the Red Sox.

"It's Cokey's job"

That was the quote from Joe Girardi, speaking in reference to the eigth inning setup role left vacant when Brian Bruney was injured. With all of the injuries and breakdowns that have befallen the Yankees 'pen, it doesn't seem unreasonable that Girardi would be turning to Phil Coke, but last night a new contender emerged for the job.

After Andy Pettitte battled through yet another six inning start, Girardi called on Phil Hughes to pitch the seventh. Sitting at 93-94 mph, and displaying his usual wicked curveball, Hughes looked every bit of the setup man that the Yankees are in which the Yankees are in such dire need.

Philly Yayo also pitched a scoreless inning, but in his usual fashioned he did his part to make it more interesting. Striking out Carlos Pena to start the inning, to me, was impressive. I must say that I was waiting for the Mike-Myers-to-David-Ortiz moment where Coke would hang a slider and Pena would hit it into the next fiscal quarter, but alas, I was proved wrong. But it was what happened after that that should concern Yankee fans. It seems as though Coke can not have the clean inning that is needed in a one run game. Though he eked through last night, how many times will a team as powerful as the Ex Rays leave that tying run on second?

This may seem like a pro-bulpen Hughes argument, but it isn't. If he benefits the team there now then so be it, but a longer term solution must be found. Once a spot in the starting five opens up, Hughes has to be stretched out enough to take the ball for six innings. Throwing one and two inning outings could result in a regression.

I look forward to seeing who comes available on the trade market, but for right now, my vote is to make a move for Huston Street of Colorado. He is a proven back-of-the-bullpen guy, and could be had for a non-Montero-or-Jackson prospect. For now, though, the eigth inning should belong to Hughes.