The LoHud Yankees Blog

Phil Hughes acknowledges that pitching out of the bullpen last season made him a better pitcher, but he doesn’t point to the development of his cutter or improvement of his fastball command.

“I was able to go down there and get some confidence,” he said. “I was kind of up and down my first few years, and I really didn’t have that confidence that I needed to be in this situation, in this role. Going down there and having success really helped. That’s really the only thing I take from last year.”

It’s more fun to romanticize Hughes’ season as a setup man. It’s a better to picture him learning in the shadow of Mariano Rivera, becoming bigger and stronger, learning how to put away big league hitters one eighth inning at a time. And some of that might have happened.

But Hughes flirted with a no-hitter in his second big league start when he was 20 years old. His stuff has been electric from the beginning. Sure, there was some growing up to do, and Hughes needed to find some consistency, but he also needed to realize that not every major league hitter is going to crush every major league fastball. He had to realize that he was good enough to face the best hitters in the world — in huge situations — and get those outs.

“He pitched in those tough games all last year for us,” Joe Girardi said. “Where there was never a lot of room for error, and he always seemed to find a way to get it done.”

Said Hughes: “You have those streaks of good outings and pretty soon you feel like you belong.”

Here’s the first half of Hughes rather lengthy postgame conversation.

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Associated Press photo

Notice anything different about Joba Chamberlain in that eighth inning?

While he was warming up in the bullpen, the zipper on Chamberlain’s pants ripped. With only a few minutes to go before he was going to jog onto a baseball field surrounded by a sellout crowd, Chamberlain swapped pants with Boone Logan.

When Brett Gardner grounded out for the first out in the top of the eighth — at which point Chamberlain needed to be ready to go — he was still putting on his new pants. He got them on time for the bottom of the inning and pitched around a two-out double for a scoreless frame.

So who’s pants will he be wearing tomorrow? I honestly have no idea whether Chamberlain was joking, but he answered emphatically.

“Boone’s!”

Associated Press photo of Boone Logan’s pants.

Phil Hughes was the last starter named to the Yankees rotation this spring, and he’s the first starter to reach 10 wins this season. Two-run home runs by Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson made the difference today as the Yankees beat the Mets 5-3. Five runs was one more than the Yankees had scored in the past three games combined, and it was only the second time Mets starter Mike Pelfrey had allowed more than four runs all season. This time, the bullpen held it together, with Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera each pitching a scoreless inning.

Associated Press photo of Granderson’s home run.

YANKEES (41-26)
Brett Gardner LF
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Ramiro Pena SS
Kevin Russo 3B

RHP Phil Hughes (9-1, 3.11)
Career vs. Mets

METS (39-28)
Jose Reyes SS
Angel Pagan CF
David Wright 3B
Ike Davis 1B
Jason Bay LF
Chris Carter DH
Jeff Francoeur RF
Alex Cora 2B
Henry Blanco C

RHP Mike Pelfrey (9-1, 2.39)
Career vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 1:05 p.m. / YES Network

UMPIRES: HP Chad Fairchild, 1B Eric Cooper, 2B Bill Miller, 3B Mike Reilly

WEATHER: Temperatures in the 80s with almost no chance of rain and hardly a cloud in the sky. If I were still in Missouri this would be a good day for harvesting wheat. Instead it’s a good day for baseball.

STAYING IN FRONT: Kind of an amazing stat that Kim Jones brought up pregame: Neither Phil Hughes nor Mike Pelfrey has blown a lead this season. Not bad for two young guys.

LOOK AWAY: Not a good stat for the Yankees. After last night’s shutout, they have now scored a total of four runs in their past three games. That’s the fewest runs they’ve scored in three-straight home games since 2008. It’s the first time they’ve been held to one run or less in consecutive home games since 2005 when they had back-to-back 2-1 losses to Cleveland.

CANO STAT OF THE DAY: In his past 30 games, Robinson Cano is hitting .415 with 12 doubles, five home runs and 26 RBI. That’s not a bad month. Cano has reached safely in 61 of 67 games this season.

UPDATE, 1:12 p.m.: The 16th lead-off home run for Jose Reyes has given the Mets a quick 1-0 lead.

UPDATE, 1:28 p.m.: Mark Teixeira managed to drive in the run, but he did with a GIDP with runners at the corners. Tied game.

UPDATE, 1:50 p.m.: Walking the No. 9 hitter is rarely a good idea. Hughes walked Blanco and gave up a second home run to Reyes. It’s now 3-1 Mets.

UPDATE, 2:05 p.m.: Well there ya go. Mark Teixeira comes up big with a game-tying two-run home run in the third inning. We’re even at 3.

UPDATE, 2:26 p.m.: When this game started, neither starting pitcher had blown a lead this season. That’s changed now that Pelfrey has allowed a go-ahead two-run home run to Curtis Granderson. It’s a 5-3 Yankees lead.

UPDATE, 2:55 p.m.: Double play gets Hughes out of the sixth, and sends him off the mound with a small fist pump. Take away those home runs by Reyes and this has been another outstanding start for Hughes. He’s in line for his 10th win.

UPDATE, 2:59 p.m.: The Associated Press photo on the right is proof that Bryan Hoch left his spot in the press box to spend at least an inning in right field. He should have caught that ball!

UPDATE, 3:15 p.m.: Joba Chamberlain getting loose in the Yankees bullpen. Hughes has pitched seven strong and is sitting at 99 pitches.

UPDATE, 3:18 p.m.: It’s Chamberlain to pitch the eighth. The crowd here at Yankee Stadium gave an uneasy cheer when he was introduced.

After taking a ground ball off his right foot on Wednesday, Yankees starter A.J. Burnett came through this afternoon’s bullpen session with no problems.

“It was a good day today,” Burnett said. “It didn’t bother me. I was worried yesterday and the day after my start, but not today. I’ll be good to go for Monday.”

Joe Girardi was late to his pregame press conference because he was watching Burnett in the bullpen. The injury was a mild concern for the Yankees, but Burnett said he’s now confident he’ll make his next start. It feels “night and day different” since Thursday. Girardi said he’s confident Burnett will be able to pitch as scheduled in Arizona.

“I woke up, took my next step and almost went down,” Burnett said. “I’ll never laugh at hitters again when they foul a ball off their foot because it’s no fun.”

• Alfredo Aceves said he felt good after roughly six minutes throwing off a half mound. He will find out later today whether he’ll make the Yankees west coast road trip, but Aceves seems to think there’s a chance he will instead go to Scranton for a rehab assignment. That’s just Aceves guessing, though. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is home next week, but the Yankees have announced no plans and Girardi said it’s too early to know when Aceves will be ready to return.

• Girardi plans to have Alex Rodriguez back in the field tomorrow. “I just thought we would be a little bit conservative and DH him today,” Girardi said. “Hopefully we’ll have him back on the field tomorrow.”

• I know there have been a lot of calls for Mark Teixeira to move down in the lineup, but Girardi said he has not been tempted to make that sort of change. “I know people ask about Tex a lot,” he said. “He has a track record. This man is going to hit. I really liked his at-bats yesterday, and we’ve seen him go on long runs when he’s very good and can carry a ball club. It’s going to happen.”

• Plus, Girardi likes the idea of finally having a set lineup now that Rodriguez and Jorge Posada are healthy. “I think what you’re looking for is consistency in your order, and that’s the one thing we haven’t been able to do a whole lot this year,” Girardi said. “You’d like to be able to put guys in the same place almost every day, but it seems things have arose from some injuries and we haven’t been able to do that.”

• Good to see Mike Ashmore at Yankee Stadium today. Check out his story on the development of Phil Hughes’ cutter.

METS
Jose Reyes SS
Angel Pagan CF
David Wright 3B
Ike Davis 1B
Jason Bay LF
Chris Carter DH
Jeff Francoeur RF
Alex Cora 2B
Henry Blanco C

Associated Press photo of Burnett with Girardi

Derek Jeter is out of the Yankees lineup with a bruised right heel. He hurt it lunging for a base, we all assume it was first base. No tests are scheduled.

Brett Gardner LF
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Ramiro Pena SS
Kevin Russo 3B

Alfredo Aceves threw off a half mound today. It’s the next step in his return from a lingering lower-back issue.

That said, Joe Girardi said he’s still not sure when Aceves might be ready to rejoin the Yankees bullpen.

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Brett Gardner LF
Ramiro Pena 3B

RHP Phil Hughes

As bad as the Yankees offense had been the previous two day, Friday was a low point. It had been more than five weeks since the Yankees had been shutout, and they hadn’t been shutout at home since June 18 of last year. They hadn’t been shutout by the Mets since 2007.

“Sometimes you tip your hat to the pitcher,” Derek Jeter said. “But we have to find some ways to score runs. We had a couple of opportunities tonight, but collectively we really haven’t been swinging the bats too well.”

The Yankees were 1-for-16 with runners on base and 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They stranded a runner at third base in the sixth, seventh and ninth. All of that meant a loss for Javier Vazquez, who deserved better after allowing one run through seven innings.

“Very frustrating,” Alex Rodriguez said. “Obviously if you can’t score runs you’re not going to win. Javy did a fantastic job out there for seven innings. He pitched his guts out and offensively we’ve got to step up.”

Hitting coach Kevin Long stressed that he trusts his hitters work ethic will make a difference: “Just keep grinding and keep going at it,” he said. “It’ll turn around. I have a lot of faith in these guys.”

Manager Joe Girardi preached big picture. “You can’t jump off the bridge because you lose a couple of games in a row when you don’t score runs,” he said.

Bottom line is, the Yankees offense was going pretty well on Tuesday and it vanished on Wednesday. It’s cost them three games.

Here’s Kevin Long.

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And here’s Alex Rodriguez.

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• Of course, the bullpen hasn’t been blamefree these past two nights. The Yankees relievers haven’t exactly kept the game within shouting distance. “Those guys need to help us out and right now they’re struggling a little bit too,” Girardi said. “When you’re not scoring runs and you can’t afford to make very many mistakes, sometimes you see more mistakes.”

• Rodriguez wasn’t tested with a ground ball, but he said his hip/groin felt fine after the game. Girardi said he’s planning to DH Rodriguez tomorrow.

• Jorge Posada said “I’m planning to” when asked if he’ll be catching tomorrow.

• Jeter’s attempted check swing in the ninth inning hurt, but Jeter said afterward that he probably did go around. “I knew it was close,” he said. “I probably did.”

• Vazquez stated the obvious. “I feel great right now,” he said. He lost for the first time since May 2, snapping a three-game winning streak. He’s pitched through the seventh inning in each of his past four starts.

• When Ike Davis hit an RBI single int he first inning, it was the first left-handed hit against Vazquez in 30 at-bats according to Elias.

• Although it worked out, Girardi said it wasn’t the right decision for Nick Swisher to tag up for second base on that fly out in the eighth. “Sometimes guys try to make things happen when you’re not scoring runs,” Girardi said.

• Girardi also said it looked like Francisco Cervelli left home plate a little too early on the play at the plate in the first inning. “It looked like he vacated a little too early,” Girardi said. “You want to be able to stand in there as long as you can.”

• Pretty funny line from Girardi when asked if Posada could have beaten out that sixth-inning ground ball if not for his injured right foot. “Maybe in a different life,” Girardi said. “I don’t know if you can go back 10 or 12 years ago and say it may have been closer, I’m not even sure back then he would have beat it out.”

• Lady Gaga was at the game tonight. I would include an AP picture of her, but it honestly might count as porn.

Associated Press photos of Jeter, Vazquez and Cervelli’s play at the plate.

YANKEES (41-25)
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada DH
Francisco Cervelli C
Chad Huffman LF
Brett Gardner CF

RHP Javier Vazquez (6-5, 5.43)
Career vs. Mets

METS (38-28)
Jose Reyes SS
Angel Pagan CF
David Wright 3B
Ike Davis 1B
Jason Bay LF
Chris Carter DH
Rod Barajas C
Jeff Francoeur RF
Ruben Tejada 2B

LHP Hisanori Takahashi (5-2, 3.48)
Career vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 7:05 p.m. / MY9

UMPIRES: HP Mike Reilly, 1B Chad Fairchild, 2B Eric Cooper, 3B Bill Miller

WEATHER: I can’t see a cloud in the sky and I can’t imagine a nicer night for baseball. Very light breeze blowing out to center field.

BY THE NUMBERS: The Yankees are 43-32 all-time against the Mets. They are 22-14 at home, 21-18 on the road and 2-1 at the current Yankee Stadium.

METS ROLLING: Last time these two teams met, the Mets had lost seven of their past nine games. This time, the Mets have won seven straight, their second-longest winning streak of the season… The Mets also have nine rookies on their roster, the most in the majors… Mets starting pitchers are 17-3 with a 2.62 ERA in their past 28 games.

READY FOR YOUR CLOSE-UP: The Yankees haven’t announced which show will be taping, but on Sunday an “Emmy Award-winning primetime hit television show” will be filming a scene before Sunday’s game. The whole thing will start around 12:30 p.m. and fans are encouraged to be in their seats no later than 12:15 to be in the show.

UPDATE, 7:18 p.m.: Might as well start the game with some controversy. David Wright made a great slide to score on a two-out single by Ike Davis. Francisco Cervelli thought he had the out, but the home plate umpire disagreed. To be honest, I think I agree with the ump.

UPDATE, 8:15 p.m.: Got pretty busy with newspaper stuff for a while there, but if you aren’t following on television or radio, you really haven’t missed much. It’s still a 1-0 Mets lead and Javy Vazquez has retired 10 of the past 11 batters he’s faced.

UPDATE, 8:27 p.m.: That’s nine in a row retired by Vazquez, but the Yankees still haven’t scored to get themselves in this game.

UPDATE, 8:50 p.m.: I wasn’t covering the last time Cervelli did the from-the-knees throw to second base, but it’s a lot of fun to see in person. It goes without saying that he was pumped afterward.

UPDATE, 9:18 p.m.: That play by Wright has the potential be the biggest play in the game.

UPDATE, 9:32 p.m.: Francisco Cervelli took a big risk stretching that hit to a double, but it could pay off big. Here’s Granderson to pinch hit for Huffman.

UPDATE, 9:57 p.m.: A three-run lead looms as a huge deficit in this game. Chan Ho Park walked the No. 9 hitter — that never ends well — then allowed back-to-back doubles to put the Mets in front 3-0.

UPDATE, 10:09 p.m.: Another good job by Boone Logan, but the damage has been done and the Mets are ahead by three.

UPDATE, 10:14 p.m.: Obviously it worked out, but down three runs with Rodriguez and Cano coming to the plate, I’m not sure I’d have Swisher trying to take second base on the fly out. Says a lot about what the Yankees think of Jason Bay’s arm, though.