Hughes goes two innings for Tampa
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Jul 09, 2007 
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Phil Hughes pitched in his first game since May 1 tonight when be faced the Dunedin Blue Jays at Legends Field.
He went two innings, allowing one unearned run and no hits. He walked two, struck out three. Hughes retired five of the last batters he faced, three on strikeouts.
I have not received word on when Hughes will pitch again. But figure on it being this weekend for Trenton, probably for four innings. The Yankees will proceed cautiously with him to make sure he is OK.
UPDATE, 8:52 p.m.: The Yankees PR machine is reporting that Hughes threw 36 pitches, 20 for strikes. That makes sense. They would want him to go up 15 or 20 each time.
So 55-60 for Trenton
Then 75-80 for Scranton
Then 95-100 for the Yankees.
I would expect the AP to move some quotes later on. I’ll post those when they become available.
UPDATE, 9:35 p.m.: Here are some Hughes quotes courtesy of the AP:
On his outing: “I was a little tentative in the first inning, but that’s to be expected. The second inning I felt a lot more comfortable. I was kind of letting it go and not really thinking about landing as much on my front foot or anything like that.”
On his ankle and hammy: “I didn’t feel a thing out there so it was good.”
On being out so long: “It’s been very tough. Not just the fact that the team is struggling, but from a selfish point of view, you never want to be out, whether I was in Triple-A or the big leagues. It’s frustrating, especially the amount of time. You know little injuries are going to happen, but twice in a row like it did, it’s very frustrating. I try not to dwell on it too much.”
Hughes will start Saturday for Trenton at Waterfront Park against Binghamton at 7:05. Also, word is that Jeff Karstens will start Thursday for Staten Island at home against Auburn at 7:10.
wooo hoooo!
So he reached his pitch count? We were all a little worried that he only went 2 innings. I figured it would be 3.
jennifer…did you call Tampa yet ??? (joke)
jennifer after u call tampa call and give me an update
Awesome, thanks for the info Pete. This is exactly what we count on you for!
if all goes well, returning to the rotation the week of the 23rd in K.C.
thank you for the update pete-awesome job as usual
Peter – Amazing, that you think of us while on your vacation. Very professional work.
If Hughes makes it back that last week in July – still a significant IF – that means a starter will have to be moved in some way. Let’s see, who could that be? The question then becomes, what do you do with a 40-something million dollar man who can’t find keep the ball down in the strike zone? Pay him his millions to pitch to AAA batters? To keep a seat warm in the ‘pen for the odd mop-up? Would you trust him as the late-inning lefty specialist (I wouldn’t). Play “Let’s make a deal” with somebody else, desperate for starting pitching (Atlanta? Philadelphia? St. Louis?)? That decision will soon be with us. Don’t forget, Jeff Karstens just made his first rehab start, also. It will be survival of the fittest.
I wonder if we’d be able to trade him. His salary isn’t the much. I can’t stand watching him pitch. It is painful!
Great news on Phil. Can’t wait until he’s up. Hopefully when he takes over from Igawa it’ll be the official passing of an era – desperation in the open player market to internal development.
For what it’s worth, supposedly Buster Olney is reporting on ESPN radio that ARod will definitely opt out of his contract but would stay if the Yankees offered him a 3 year $81 million dollar contract.
http://mvn.com/
At 3/81 his total remaining contract with the yanks will be just over $150 million minus the money coming from Texas.
If this is true, then the Yankees lucked out (as crazy as that sounds – $150 million is lucky). That seems like a resonable compromise both sides should be able to live with. It’s a risk but if there’s any player who would be a good bet to perform well at 36/37 its Arod. If true that would also mean that he really wants to stay in NY.
Thanks for the updates Pete!!
If thats true the yankees should sign that contract right now.
CB-
you mean a 3-year _extension_ worth $81 mill ??
that’s not bad. that works out to $27 per year. He earned $26 mill this year. If I was Cash, I’d go for that, just as long as he doesn’t publish another children’s book.
Supposedly it would be a 3 year extension on top of the three years he has remaining. No idea if that’s true but if so it would keep the 30 million coming out of Tom Hicks pocket.
If there is any merit to this then Cashman should approach Boras and say let’s get this done. It would be hard to talk about any kind of extension publicly given the yankee stance towards Mariano and Posada.
This should put Phil Hughes on target to join the big team in late July/early August. Before then, Kei Igawa should be taken out of the rotation and be replaced with Matt DeSalvo or Tyler Clippard until Hughes is ready. Igawa can spend the rest of the year in Tampa working on his command of pitches. He never should have made the team out of spring training in the first place. Not ready yet.
“However, Olney also noted that A-Rod would remain with the Yankees if they signed him to a three-year, $81 million contract.”
i think this is a joke. they are making fun of the fact that he already has a 3 year, $81M contract.
the caption under the photo says “The Onion”….
i could be wrong though.
has anyone heard how Chase Wright is doing?
They should do Arod Mo and Posada all right now.
_They should do Arod Mo and Posada all right now._
Don’t forget Rocket.
Even it’s only for partial season. The Lion is still dealin’
Wright is doing ok, not great, not bad, but ok at Scranton.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.....pid=451657
Here’s a story from the AP: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....ghes.0325/
“I was a little tentative in the first inning, but that’s to be expected,” said Hughes, who threw 20 of 36 pitches for strikes and had his fastball reach 94 mph. “The second inning I felt a lot more comfortable. I was kind of letting it go and not really thinking about landing as much on my front foot or anything like that.”
Hughes said he was encouraged that his ankle and hamstring held up well.
“I didn’t feel a thing out there so it was good,” Hughes said.
thanks for the update Ryan. I figure he’ll be tentative for the first few starts. You can’t really help it.
This is the whole story posted by Dan Benton (not one to just make up a story about hearing buster olney say something he didn’t but who knows) on MVN:
“According to Buster Olney of ESPN Radio, Alex Rodriguez has announced that he will opt out of his contract at the end of the year. However, Olney also noted that A-Rod would remain with the Yankees if they signed him to a three-year, $81 million contract.”
Picture was captioned the onion but it looked like a stock shot.
Jennifer,
Chase Wright has pitched pretty poorly in Scranton. He’s walks to K ratio is around 1:1 (he’s got like 33 walks and 33 k’s). He gave up 6 runs his last start in Scranton. His command has been pretty bad. Hard to say if it was being rushed and giving up the 4 back to back home runs or if its AAA. Clippard has also pitched poorly since going back down to scranton. still not throwing strikes.
Why would Alex announce he’ll opt out. The fans would kill him when he came back to the stadium. I don’t believe that at all.
I agree Jennifer. It seems like that was a mis-communication…
I guess we will see tomorrow in the papers..
They’d be running with it on espn right now, I haven’t heard a word.
I am sure you all saw the A ROD interview a little while ago and they talked about the opt out. All he really said was that there is something really special about wearing a Yankee uniform and he really like playing in NY…
Sorry if it’s just a scam story. Didn’t mean to spread any misinformation. That’s usually a pretty good website.
Wright has had good and bad games. He was in A last year, and had only two AA games before coming up to the Yanks. Since then he has been at AAA. So basically, he has more or less skipped AA.
I would think he best translates into a Villone type pitcher. Long relief/mopup/Emergency starter. He’s 24. Villone is 37.
CB is right about Clippard. He’s struggling a bit at SWB, but is only 22.
As for the Onion…. The Onion is a known SATIRICAL website.
That is pretty wierd. He must have said something for them to publish it….
If it is true and all he wants is an extension Cashman better jump on that….
Scott there is no way this is true. Buster has been running around saying Alex will opt out. Hey he has a 50/50 chance at being correct. Believe me if he said this you wouldn’t hear the end of it.
Just because something is in the papers doesn’t mean it’s accurate. Also, Alex supposedly said in an interview on FAN (I didn’t listen myself) that to talk about his contract now would be “selfish”, and made it sound like something he wouldn’t do. So, something doesn’t jive, here. He has no reason to say anything publicly now. His bat is doing all the talking he needs, even if he has already privately made his decision.
lets go vladdy.. he is nasty!!!
Mike,
Completely agree about Wright. He just had a real roller coaster year that probably wasn’t fair to him. Was stuck in A ball just floundering until he started putting things together last year and then just caught fire in Trenton early in the season but only had a few starts there (was utterly dominant but only a couple of games). I think they called him up so soon because they didn’t want to rush Hughes or Clippard and Wright was already on the 40 man roster. I hope he can fill the role of lefty specialist in the pen.
Clippard’d struggling but that doesn’t change things too much for his outlook overall. He’s still got things to iron out in the minors. Rushing him might have hurt his confidence but hopefully it’ll resolve. He was pitching great in scranton the two or three starts before he got called up.
Repeat. The Onion is not reputable. It is a website known for SATIRE.
The Onion is an award-winning, US-based, PARODY newspaper published weekly in print and daily online. It features SATIRICAL articles ….
Guys: That story is not true. Alex announced no such thing. He was on ESPN and WFAN today and said nothing of the sort about opting out.
Just think for a second, what would possibly be the upside of doing that?
Vlad is hitting BOMBS!!!!!!
Thanks for the clarification Pete. I didn’t hear the interview but figured it was something Olney must have gotten from a source.
Mike, the story wasn’t from the Onion (which is hilarious but not a source information). It’s on MVN.com which is a very good sports blog. Pete has a link to MVN. The ARod story was on their home page and on their “Newswire” section. Don’t know what happened there. It’s usually a good read.
In contrast Kei Igawa is on the following schedule,
95-100 pitches for the Yankees.
Then 75-80 for Scranton.
Then 55-60 for Trenton.
Then many pitches for a team in Japan.
Johnny,
Love the Igawa schedule. Can we please get Alan Horne to make his next few starts? I don’t want to see Igawa, DeSalvo, Wright or even Clippard again this year.
Guys -
About ARod –
I believe his *current* contract has 3 more years and $81 million left. Texas pays about $10 mil of that per season.
If ARod opts out, no more subsidy from Texas.
When Gammons was on the Michael Kay show, they talked about Boras wanting a 5 year deal around $30 million per
If that’s the case, the only way it makes sense for the Yankees and for ARod is this:
ARod and the Yankees extend his current deal for – say – 2 more years at $30 mil (+$9 million extra to get him up to $30 mil per year over 5 years).
That’s if you believe that Boras is looking for 5/150 for ARod.
The Yankees would then get the $10 mil from the Rangers for 3 of the years. They’d be on the hook for the entire amount over the final 2 years.
If you guys are interested in discussing The Bronx Is Burning, I’ve got a post up at: http://mvn.com/mlb-yankees/200.....the-straw/. Feel free to stop on by. You too, Pete.
While MVN is a good site, and EJ Fagan does a great job of following the Yanks minor league players, Dan Benton is well know for making stuff up out of his @$$. He’s actually notorious for being a pretend journalist and trying to “break” stories that don’t exist by quoting multiple “anonymous” sources…only to later look like a fool. Just go onto the Giants message board bigblueinteractive.com and ask about his reputation…he’s pretty famous over there.
“The Yankees would then get the $10 mil from the Rangers for 3 of the years. They’d be on the hook for the entire amount over the final 2 years.”
if A-Rod would settle for only 2 additional years, the yankees would be crazy not to oblige even if those 2 years were at something ridiculous like $30M.
the yankees should always overpay in dollars per year if they can in exchange for fewer years.
it’s not the dollars that will hurt a team as rich as the yankees, it’s the years.
for example, wouldn’t the yankees have been better off paying Giambi an extra $3-4M per year to have his contract last 5 years instead of 7?
What’s up with Darrell Rasner? is he expected to be back soon?
bronx is burning is brilliant
I agree, Bronx Is Burning is terrific. John Turturro will win an Emmy for his Billy Martin portrayal. I wish I could watch all 8 hrs in a row right now.
what a sad sympathetic character he shows us that billy was.
I set my DVR for Bronx is Burning and got the home run derby instead.
Kind of wish those geniuses at ESPN were truthful for a change. I kind of knew there was no way they were going to complete the derby in 2 hours flat.
Just glad they’ll be re-running it a lot.
As for Hughes, he can’t get here soon enough. I just don’t think we can run Igawa out on the mound anymore as a starter. He has to be the mop up guy or go to AAA.
bronx is burning wasn’t bad, wasn’t great.
Trenton plays New Hampshire from Thursday through Sunday, then a series against Binghamton…
Interesting storyline in that case. Bill Masse, now the New Hampshire manager, was pretty much fired from his post as Trenton skipper over comments he made about the development of Hughes. Now, he gets to face him.
Joe L-
you can snag the show here:
http://www.bronxisburning.com/
Anyone think hillenbrand will be our new first baseman post-break? The boy has been waived…
I’d rather see them give Shelley Duncan a chance…
hillenbrand is a bad idea. thank god they didn’t make a deal for him.
Mike what comments did he make about Phil?
Id give Alex 3/30 on top of what he has right now.Hes that kind of talent and apparently has turned the corner here.Hillenbrand is a clubhouse pariah and should be avoided.Were 10 games out.Lets get Hughes up here for the 5 spot when his rehab is up and hope Jasons foot is ok.A healthy Giambi would be a monster in the lineup.
I can’t wait for Hughes to be back so I don’t have to see Igawa ever pitch again.
I’m pretty sure that ESPN will rerun Burning 60000 times in the next two weeks so I think you will have a chance to catch it if your DVR didn’t record it.
Brilliant is a little much though. It’s good but to use the B word? No chance.
Lock in Mo, Jorge, and A-Rod to their new contracts NOW to set the tone for the rest of this year, the last year in the old Stadium, and the opening of the new Stadium in ’09. Here’s a chance for A-Rod to be his own man and not listen to every piece of greedy advice that Scott Boras wants him for. He’ll never make as much money off the field as he can in NYC.
There’s Giambi, Mussina and other money coming off the books after ’08 so the money is there.
I believe it is re-running Wednesday, which is when I’ll have to tape it again. I didn’t tape long enough last night.
I wanted to watch it but fell asleep while the homerun derby was still on.
i can see cashman sticking with phillips over bringing up duncan or signing durazo .
Philips is hitting over 300, I dont see why he has to be replaced?
I don’t either. If he starts to stink up the joint, than they still ave plenty of time to make a trade.
Basically, Masse (last year’s Trenton Mgr.) got into a beef with Nadi CONTREARAS (Yank minor league pitching guru) about Phil Hughes pitch-count limitations etc. Masse felt Hughes should pitch longer and more of an increased pitch count. Cash and Yanks people went ballistic and out went Masse. I believe that was the story. Maybe, there were additional Yankee issues with Masse who BTW had managed with the Yanks about 3-4 years working himself up the ladder to Double A.
Thanks for the info RJ. I can’t believe I missed this whole thing!!
Thanks, CB. When I read that the caption said the Onion, I wanted to point out that the Onion is NOT reputable, but a Parody newssite.
Re: Rasner. Hasn’t started rehab. I believe this is more than just a hairline fracture type of thing. If I remember correctly, pins were put into the finger, thus complicating matters quite a bit.
Re: Shelley Duncan. Yes, the Yanks could use his righty bat and power, but they see him strictly as a DH, which is where he has mostly been this year. His defense in LF and 1b is below average. With Damon DHing, there isn’t a place for Shelley unless they platoon him with Damon, and that isn’t happening.
Re: Bronx is Burning. Great and it looks like it’s accurate, too. Jonathan stole my words—if ever Billy Martin comes across as a sad, sympathetic character, it’s here. He had a problem with the booze beforehand, and it’s pretty evident that George only made it worse. I’ve seen alcoholism up close. The alcoholic can’t handle pressure, and will lie like hell (like any addict).
Re: Hillenbrand. Been there. No.
Re: Giambi. Don’t be shocked if he is out for the rest of the year. His type of injury can take 4-6 months to heal.
OK I have what may be a silly question, but I’m gonna ask it anyway.
Last night during the HR Derby when they were interviewing Alex, when they asked him about his contract and opting out he said, “New York’s been great.” Maybe I’m overanalyzing this but did that choice of words worry anyone else? BEEN great?? Sounds kinda ominous…course I REALLY hope I’m wrong and reading too much into it.
As far as Bronx Is Burning…not the finest piece of cinema ever, but definitely good. John Turturro as Billy Martin, brilliant. There are no words. I wasn’t as crazy about the actor that’s playing Reggie though. Loved the Giambi cameo and hope to see more of our guys find their way in there in future episodes! Does anyone know if that’s happening?
“when they were interviewing Alex, when they asked him about his contract and opting out he said, “New York’s been great.â€? Maybe I’m overanalyzing this but did that choice of words worry anyone else? BEEN great?? ”
thought the same thing too. also seems like most of his “i want to stay in NY” comments a few months ago were pretty much to NY media outlets. funny how his words change when it’s national.
am i the only one who thought it was wierd that Alex was the only all star player in a suit, not a uniform?
Benton wasn’t the only one who heard that report apparently:
http://www.bigblueinteractive......_ID=240278