Anthony Gruppuso-US Presswire
A number of times this season, I’ve said that New York Yankees’ starting pitcher Phil Hughes needs to pick things up. He is currently 0-2 with a 4.67 ERA. I don’t know what happened to him. He won 18 games in 2010 and looked like the ace that the Yankees projected him to be. He tied with Hiroki Kuroda last season for the most wins by a Yankees’ starter with 16, but that was coupled with 13 losses.
Even though Hughes didn’t get the win on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays, he pitched an encouraging game going six innings with nine strikeouts, allowing seven hits. Maybe this start is a sign that he is getting back on the right track. The Yankees have won the last two games that Hughes has started, but the winning runs were scored after Hughes was taken out of the games.
Hughes’ 0-2 record is not good, but at least you can say that he is trying hard to pick up wins. It’s frustrating as a pitcher to pitch a good game when your offense doesn’t support you. These last two starts by Hughes are a sign that he is picking things up, and the Yankees would love for Hughes to be an 18 game winner again.
Hughes’ next start is on Saturday against the Oakland Athletics. The A’s are struggling, having lost six of their last ten games. This is a good draw for Hughes, and there is no better time to pick up a win than against a team who is struggling. If Hughes looked strong in his last two starts but did not get the win, you have to think that he is due for a victory.
Phil Hughes started the season by losing his first two starts. Maybe he was still hurting from the bulging disk in his back, but his last two quality starts are signs that he is headed in the right direction. If he continues to pitch well, hopefully he gets his first win on Saturday.
