The New York Yankees didn't even wait for Andy Pettitte to return before benching Phil Hughes for a start to limit his innings and rest that valuable right arm. It was the right call. The Yankees will need a revitalized Hughes for a successful run in the playoffs.
Watching his last start, I just had the sense that Hughes has gotten tired, despite his insistence to the contrary. After spending most of last year in the bullpen, the youngster has now pitched 155 innings this year and the impact of that may be finally catching up with him. Hughes didn't seem particularly happy about being forced to take a seat, but he understands that it's for his own good and hopefully he can come back strong in his final three starts.
More importantly, it's for the good of the team. Hughes is going to be the number #3 pitcher in the playoff rotation behind CC Sabathia and Pettitte and the Yankees need him to be the dominant guy who already had 11 wins around the All-Star break. Hughes is more reliable than either AJ Burnett or Javier Vazquez and the Yanks will have a hard time repeating if he can't win in the playoffs. Giving him a rest now is the best way to get him ready for October.
Watching his last start, I just had the sense that Hughes has gotten tired, despite his insistence to the contrary. After spending most of last year in the bullpen, the youngster has now pitched 155 innings this year and the impact of that may be finally catching up with him. Hughes didn't seem particularly happy about being forced to take a seat, but he understands that it's for his own good and hopefully he can come back strong in his final three starts.
More importantly, it's for the good of the team. Hughes is going to be the number #3 pitcher in the playoff rotation behind CC Sabathia and Pettitte and the Yankees need him to be the dominant guy who already had 11 wins around the All-Star break. Hughes is more reliable than either AJ Burnett or Javier Vazquez and the Yanks will have a hard time repeating if he can't win in the playoffs. Giving him a rest now is the best way to get him ready for October.
No comments:
Post a Comment