Phil Hughes and the New York Yankees: You Hughes, You Lose

Who has had enough of Phil Hughes?

Well, the New York Yankees certainly haven't had enough, which is a real concern.

Hughes proved once again against the Rangers to be a liability on the mound, but this doesn’t seem to faze skipper Joe Girardi as he told Mark Feinstein of the NY Daily News this after the game:

“We believe he can do it and I know he believes he can do it. But right now, sometimes the ball’s running back a little, he’s leaving the curveball up, the cutter’s sometimes not getting to where he wants to so it is frustrating. But you’ve got to keep working at it.”

If you were wondering whether Hughes’ rotation spot was in jeopardy, Girardi clearly stated:

“Our plans are to send (Hughes) out there again. He’s got to keep working at it. We’ve got to try to find a way to get it right.”

Hughes is one lucky guy, as most teams with other options would definitely use them because it is not like things could get any worse.

Even in his earlier start against the Twins, Hughes was mediocre at best. He did manage to pitch five whole innings, and get a W courtesy of the Yankee bats scoring seven runs.

In case you forgot, here is what Hughes has done in his four starts this season (stats are courtesy of baseball-refernce.com):

Date	Tm	Opp	Rslt	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	2B	3B	ERA
Apr 8	NYY	TBR	L 0-3	L(0-1)	4.2	5	2	2	2	5	1	2	1	3.86
Apr 14	NYY	LAA	L 1-7	L(0-2)	3.1	8	6	6	2	6	2	1	0	9
Apr 19	NYY	MIN	W 7-6	W(1-2)	5.1	6	6	2	2	4	1	2	0	6.75
Apr 25	NYY	TEX	L 3-7	L(1-3)	2.2	5	4	4	0	2	1	2	0	7.88

Does anybody know how many more games Hughes has to screw up for the Yankees to take him out of the starting rotation?

Personally, I can’t stand watching Hughes on the mound because he makes me uneasy.

Since he doesn’t use the length of his body, Hughes looks cramped when he throws. I presume this limits what he can do with the baseball, which gives batters the advantage before he even starts his motion.

Yes, Hughes can throw a ball in the low to mid 90s right across the plate, but I am sure a lot of people who don’t play pro-ball can do the same.

Until Hughes stops judging his fastball by its velocity, and the Yankees come to grips that 18 wins can be a fluke, he will continue to lose.

It is unfair and irresponsible of Girardi and Cashman to put the Yankees in a losing position, and that is exactly what they are doing every time they hand Phil Hughes the ball.

In my opinion the time has come for the Yankees to give a prospect a shot because you never know when you might find a Jeremy Lin.

At this point, Hughes is making me miss A.J. Burnett and even Bartolo Colon. Sweet Jesus.

What do you think about the Hughes situation?