Phil Hughes’ spot in the rotation is safe for now, but he is being pushed back a day.
The right-hander will start Monday against the White Sox, with Andy Pettitte taking his place tomorrow on normal rest in the series finale against the Orioles.
In his last nine starts, Hughes is 0-6 with a 5.64 ERA in what has been a nightmarish season. Before last night’s 8-5 victory over Baltimore in The Bronx, Hughes chatted with Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, but not about mechanics.
“He just told me to forget about my record, which is what I’ve been trying to do most of the season,” said Hughes, who has spoken with Palmer over the years because of how often the two teams play each other. “It’s a little harder to do that when you’re 4-13 than when you win 20 games every season like he did.”
Despite the results, Hughes still thinks he can salvage some of his season.
“The record is going to be ugly, no matter what I do the rest of the way,” he said. “But if I can pitch well these last handful of outings and help us get to the playoffs, I’ll be able to look back on what’s happened a little differently. So that’s where my focus is now.”
* Although Mark Reynolds came to the Yankees largely to fill in at first base against left-handers, he didn’t want to limit himself to a platoon role, and hoped to force his way into the lineup against righties, as well.
Last night he went 3-for-4 for a second straight game, this time against righty starter Miguel Gonzalez.
Reynolds said he’s getting his foot down earlier in his swing and that adjustment has helped lead to his improved production.
“It feels good to rebound,” Reynolds said.
He’s also been the beneficiary of Lyle Overbay’s recent struggles. Overbay didn’t play last night and is hitless in his last 15 at-bats.
“As I told Lyle, we’re just going to see what happens,” manager Joe Girardi said. “It doesn’t mean you won’t play tomorrow.”
But expect Reynolds to keep playing.
“He’s a guy who can carry a club, so I went with a hunch,” Girardi said of Reynolds, who had 11 homers by May 9 with the Indians before going into a tailspin that led to his release. “You look what he did for that month of April. That would be huge for us if he could do that.”
Girardi admitted it wasn’t easy sending Overbay to the bench after he performed well in Mark Teixeira’s absence for much of the year.
“It is awkward, because Lyle has meant a lot to our club,” Girardi said.
* Yogi Berra was introduced during an on-field ceremony before last night’s game. The Yankees gave away Yogi Berra bobblehead dolls.
— Additional reporting by Ken Davidoff