BALTIMORE — The Yankees are turning to Phil Hughes Thursday night with the hope he can partly erase a miserable season by helping them beat the Orioles in a ballpark that punishes fly ball pitchers much the same way Yankee Stadium does.
Hughes was informed by pitching coach Larry Rothschild he will start instead of David Huff, who took Hughes’ spot in the rotation last Saturday, shortly after the Yankees beat the Orioles, 5-4, Wednesday night.
“It will be good. I will give everything I got and see where we are at,’’ said Hughes, who is 4-13 as a starter. “As long as I throw strikes I will be fine. My relief outing [Friday] was terrible. I would like to put it behind me and look at it as a fresh start and see where we are.’’
Manager Joe Girardi’s reasoning was that Huff, who was smoked for nine runs and eight hits in 3¹/₃ innings Saturday by the Red Sox, had been solid out of the bullpen before being inserted into the rotation.
“We need him to go out there and give us some innings [Thursday],’’ Girardi said of Hughes, whose last start was Sept. 2 and lasted 1¹/₃ innings because of a long rain delay.
Ivan Nova said it was too early to tell whether his right elbow/biceps problem that forced him out of Tuesday night’s game will allow him to face the Red Sox Sunday in Fenway Park.
“It’s not easy to tell if I am pitching [Sunday],’’ said Nova, who was lifted Tuesday after six innings because of a dip in velocity caused by a problem he says was there previously. “I am letting my arm get refreshed to see where I am at.’’
Asked if he thought he could pitch Sunday, Nova said, “I want to go.’’
“Our plan is for him to make his next start,’’ Girardi said.
Also, Alex Rodriguez was the DH instead of playing third base after feeling something in the left hamstring rounding third base and scoring from second Tuesday evening. Rodriguez, who went 1-for-4, his a solo homer tied the game at 3-3.
Rodriguez said he felt “a knot’’ rounding third, but still had enough legs to slide safely across the plate.
“When you run as slow as I do, sliding isn’t a big deal,’’ Rodriguez said.
Brendan Ryan, acquired from the Mariners on Tuesday for a player to be named later that turned out to be Double-A pitcher Sean Black, survived a red-eye flight well enough to start at shortstop Wednesday.
Girardi didn’t waste any time getting Ryan into a game, but the manager said the solid-fielding, light-hitting righty wasn’t suddenly the starting shortstop.
He went 0-for-4.
Austin Romine said the foul tip he took off the mask Tuesday night left him with a concussion, but it’s not as bad as one he suffered in 2011 that cost him 30 games.
“I am a little off, the ball got me pretty good,’’ said Romine, who left the game after feeling nauseous. “I have had one before so I know what to expect.’’
Romine wasn’t placed on the five-day concussion disabled list, but didn’t know when he would be allowed to play again.