PHOENIX — Thinking about Phil Hughes’ long-term future instead of having the Rays and Red Sox on their tail, the Yankees are skipping their winningest pitcher this Friday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
Citing “The Hughes Rules,” which has the right-hander on an innings limit which is believed to be in the 170 to 175 range, manager Joe Girardi announced the plan to skip Hughes before last night’s 10-4 loss to the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
“His innings are at 82 and we have played [69] games,” Girardi said. “The off days [Thursday and Monday] give us a chance to do it.”
There is also a strong possibility that Hughes will pitch in the back end of the rotation after the All-Star break.
“He is a hard guy to sit and miss a start because of how well he has pitched,” Girardi said. “But we can’t be shortsighted. Starters are not easy to develop.”
Hughes, who is tied for the AL lead in wins with 10, will have nine days off when he faces the Mariners at Yankee Stadium Tuesday night.
“I knew it was coming, it was just a matter of when,” Hughes said of the move that denies him a chance to pitch in front of family and friends at Dodger Stadium.
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In a perfect world Girardi will write Alex Rodriguez into the lineup for the next five games at third base because the DH has been deleted in NL parks during interleague play.
Yet, because of a right groin/hip flexor problem, Girardi wasn’t guaranteeing that his cleanup hitter will play tonight and tomorrow against the Diamondbacks and all three games against the Dodgers this weekend.
He was at third last night.
“I am still not sure,” Girardi said of Rodriguez playing all six games on the trip.
Since returning from missing four games, Rodriguez has been the DH and played third three times each.
If the day is coming when Girardi isn’t concerned about the groin/hip flexor problem, what about Rodriguez’s season-long power outage?
Rodriguez started last night’s action with eight homers. But since June 3 he had one and since May 20 he hit two.
Since returning he was 2-for-18 (.111) with one extra base hit, a double.
In last night’s 10-4 loss to the Diamondbacks he went 1-for-4 with a double and missed a homer to right-center by a few feet.
“I could hit five or six homers in a week, I am not worried,” Rodriguez said. “I will have my normal numbers at the end of the year.”
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The last 21 batters Mariano Rivera faced have gone hitless. According to Elias Sports Bureau that’s the longest streak of Rivera’s career. He didn’t pitch last night.
Rivera had not allowed a run in the last 11 appearances, holding opponents to just a hit and two walks in 11 innings and going 8-for-8 in save chances.
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Derek Jeter will never forget how Game 7 of the 2001 World Series ended. But having been to Chase Field twice since Luis Gonzalez’ broken-bat single beat the Yankees in one of the best World Series ever, has taken the sting out of returning. So, too, does winning last year’s World Series, the Yankees’ first since 2000.
“That loss you remember more until we won last year,” said Jeter, one of four Yankees who was with the club for the heartbreak loss. “I am not saying it took the sting away but it’s not like you think about it when you come here. I would assume they don’t have anybody (left).”
As for the memorable seven games, Jeter recalled the buzz.
“It was pretty exciting, even though you lost you had to enjoy playing in it,” Jeter said. “It was fun to be part of it.”
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There are three games against the lowly Diamondbacks and a dark day Thursday. But everyone knows what Friday brings: Joe Torre managing the Dodgers against the Yankees at Dodger Stadium.
“I’m looking forward to it. I played for Joe. I loved playing for Joe. I was fortunate enough to be part of three championship teams under Joe, which was awesome,” Girardi said. “He took me under his wing in 2005 as his bench coach and was very open and allowed me to do a lot of things that I am forever grateful [for]. It’s just not Joe. It’s Donnie [Mattingly], too, and the history between the two clubs. I’m looking forward to it.”
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The Yankees promoted left-handed hitting outfield Colin Curtis from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Triple-A) yesterday and designated catcher Chad Moeller for assignment.
Curtis, hit .280 in 35 games for SWB. He would have been a candidate for promotion earlier in the year but suffered an ankle sprain. The former Arizona State University player was in uniform for last night’s game and lined out to center as a pinch hitter. He was chosen over fellow left-handed hitter Juan Miranda, who didn’t hit well in a brief stint this year.
Letting Moeller, who made the trip from New York to Arizona with the team, go is an indication the Yankees believe Jorge Posada ‘s right foot has healed enough for regular work.
“He has done great dealing with it,” Girardi said of Posada, who fractured a bone on May 16.
As for catching Posada in back-to-back games, something he hasn’t done since returning from the DL on June 2, Girardi is hoping that can happen.
“We will see how he feels after [last night],” Girardi said.
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Andy Pettitte, Jeter, Posada and Rivera may think of Chase Field as a place where they suffered the most crushing loss of their careers but for Girardi, the ballpark has a different feel. Girardi played his last major league game in 2003 for the Cardinals here.
“It was very difficult to take the uniform off,” recalled Girardi, who made an out as a pinch-hitter and believed he was finished with 1,099 hits because the plan wasn’t for him to stay in the game. “I was inside and it was emotional. Tino [Martinez] knew I was retiring and he told Tony [La Russa] about the hits and he put me in the game and I got a hit.”
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Since he has been in the big leagues since 2001 when he won 17 games, it seems like CC Sabathia should be older than he is. But not until July 21 does the Yankees’ lefty turn
30.
“No, I try not to. Being around here and being in the clubhouse I think definitely keeps you young. I’m still 29 for another month, so I can still say I’m 20. But (Andy) Pettitte keeps reminding me how old I’m getting,” Sabathia said when asked if he felt older or wiser.
Since Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson are young, Sabathia was asked if one of them reminded him of himself at the beginning of his career.
“Phil. I probably didn’t have as great a first half as he’s having first year being a starter. But just some of the stuff he goes through with the command and having pitches certain days and not having them,” Sabathia said. “But he’s done a great job, he’s real mature and he definitely reminds me a lot of myself.”
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Additional reporting by Mark Hale and Brian Costello