Pregame notes: Hughes trying to get going
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Apr 08, 2011 
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Every game between the Yankees and Red Sox seems to be about the bigger picture. It’s about the rivalry, and it’s about the division standings, and it’s about trying to win another championship. Winning is the only thing matters in these matchups.
Looking for a smaller picture, though, this game has a lot to do with Phil Hughes.
After last year’s breakout season, Hughes opened this season with a sloppy start at Yankee Stadium. His velocity wasn’t quite as high as expected, his command wasn’t especially good and he lasted only four innings against the Tigers.
“He struggled his last start, there’s no secret about that,” Joe Girardi said. “Just get him back on track… Command (is the key). Just getting on track and getting to where he was throwing the ball like he was last year.”
Hughes has said he felt good in his between-starts bullpen sessions. That’s a positive sign, but it doesn’t mean much if he can’t take it to the mound this afternoon.
“I think it gives you a good feeling going into the start,” Girardi said. “When you feel good and you feel like you’re able to do your work and do it well in between, I think it gives you a confidence going into the start. But once the game starts, you have to make those pitches.”
• The fact the Red Sox have yet to win a game doesn’t mean much to the Yankees. “There’s only 156 games to go. I’m not really looking at whole a lot of things except how we’re doing,” Girardi said.
• Girardi wouldn’t commit to using his regulars in every game this series, but clearly the rain out gave everyone a bit of a breather and seemingly gave the Yankees the option of using everyone all weekend. Girardi was planning to use that rained out game to rest some guys anyway. “You want to be able to play your regulars, and it just kind of worked out,” Girardi said. “That was the day you could split it up.”
• This will be the Yankees first regular-season look at the new Red Sox lineup. “I don’t think Crawford’s really going to change a whole lot from last year to this year except he’s in a different uniform,” Girardi said. “We know what type of player he is. As far as Adrian Gonzalez — who hits the ball extremely well the other way – this park should play right into a lot of his strengths, and you would expect that he would be a very productive player over here.”
• Jorge Posada is one hit away from tying Phil Rizzuto for 14th place on the Yankees all-time hits list. He’s eight runs from tying Rizzuto for 17th on the team’s all-time runs scored list.
• Nick Swisher has 499 RBI, one away from reaching 500 for his career.
• The Red Sox added two pitchers before today’s game. As expected, Alfredo Aceves was called up to replace Matt Albers. The team also activated lefty Felix Doubront from the disabled list and designated Dennys Reyes for assignment. Reyes allowed four runs in 1.2 innings for Boston.
RED SOX
Carl Crawford LF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Adrian Gonzalez 1B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
David Ortiz DH
J.D. Drew RF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Marco Scutaro SS
Associated Press photo
repost
champ809 April 8th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
It can be as early in the season as it is….if the Yanks sweep the Sux this weekend they’re in trouble.
Period.
They will not be the 1st team in the 100+ year history of the game to begin a season 0-9 and win the World Series. Ain’t happening…
Not with their pitching.
The hype machine began in Dec. with the anal-ists and pro know it alls that fell all over themselves to declare the ’11 RedSux the greatest team ever assembled.
AGon and Crawford were great additions for them but they still had a gaping hole @ C and SS as well as 2 40yr old Of’ers as well as just as many if not more ?’s regarding their pitching staff.
Pete Ate-a-ham is chillin on the set of NESN pregame.
trisha
I see your guy Ellsbury is batting 8th. What happened?
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Go Yankees!!!
this is going to be a long day on the blog if hughes gets hammered by the sox lineup unable to score runs.
I wonder if the weather will affect the game?
Enjoy the game everyone!
Go Hughes!!
I wonder if the weather will affect the game?
__
i live a mile away from fenway. it is real nice here today….
Repost from the end of the last thread.
just_another_handle April 8th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Feel free to correct my math if I am wrong but…
if the Sox play .610 baseball the rest of the way they wind up 96-66 and that would usually warrent a playoff trip, but…
if they play .500 ball in the next six months just ONE time, that gives them 6 more losses which would make their record 90-72 and thus make their postseason aspirations much less likely.
These figures are apporximate and should not be used for any gambling purposes.
What I am trying to say is that any six game losing streak AT ANY TIME OF THE YEAR makes the math for a playoff spot that much more daunting.
Nice that Gammons is on NESN pregame. Showing his true allegiance
MLB Network spot with Millar in a Sox jersey in NYC- funny stuff.
Jersey is really tight on him and one guy says “shirts a little small, is that Pedroias jersey?”
and They ask a UPS guy if he knows who Millar is and he says- “Yeah, he’s old news.”
Bojy – opening ceremonies starting now. So the game will be starting at 2.
**************
“trisha
I see your guy Ellsbury is batting 8th. What happened?”
1. He’s not my guy. I said he’s the best player to start at the top of the lineup.
2. I never said he wouldn’t be switched out for a day here and there.
Any other issues, oh grand inquisitor?
fenway really is ugly
I don’t care how many new scoreboards the Fenway added. Its still a DUMP!!
Unknown – great minds.
is fenway really america’s most beloved ballpark?
“Any other issues, oh grand inquisitor?”
Yes, are the Red Sox a playoff team, yes or no?
Given the maximum characters it would require to answer is 3, strange that you refuse to.
how do you boo the trainers?
ac1 the fans are just practicing for what is going to be a weekend long BOO Fest at this dump.
i may be alone but i actually like Garcia on this team….
i think he will bring something good.
haha MO got some claps
It is kind of strange that a very pedestrian MLB salary is a very, very good salary for most of the country.
—
The above comment was a few threads ago but I’d like to note, the major league minimum salary is in the highest tax bracket. Pretty crazy huh?
Awwww stuckey. You didn’t mean “people”, you meant just you. Next time say so. And check it out. I don’t tap dance upon command. So I think I won’t bother answering your question. I’ll answer it of any other person, just not of you. You’re too weird. (no offense)
orsillo’s mic got turned off. HAHAHAHA
Swisher has historically bad #’s vs Lackey. Kind of surprised he’s batting 6th. I would have batted Posada 6th, Grandy 7th, and Swish 8 for this game. Also sandwhiches Grandy with switch hitters, so the Sox cant bring in a LOOGY to go Grandy, Martin, Gardner late in the game…
Either way, very excited for the game!
And now, your 0-6 beantown dead sux!!!!!
“i may be alone but i actually like Garcia on this team….
i think he will bring something good.”
Love him ac1. Was excited when there was talk of getting him.
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The only worthwhile button they could push would be the one that would cause fenway to implode.
It does seem like the fans at Fenway have a bit of enthuasim sucked out of them. Hopefully whats left will be gone by the 3rd inning.
they just became HD? wow, welcome to 2002 Fenway…
Too Funny Trisha
Anyone want to guess the percentage of the world population that has income less than $500k a year?
I’ll give you a hint, there are a lot of 9′s in it.
“It does seem like the fans at Fenway have a bit of enthuasim sucked out of them. Hopefully whats left will be gone by the 3rd inning.”
So Tek still is rocking that dumb red C on his jersey. That still looks as ridiculous as it always has looked in the past.
still sucks to see aceves in a sox uni.
Check it out. Whenever they break down and give their players extensions, they turn into dirt. They did it with Papelbum and they did it with Beckett.
Aceves longs wrong in a Sux uni.
Aceves looks ridiculous with that facial hair.
Mo got the most applause. RS fans recognize the best closer ever.
Mike from Boston and Joe – I’m going to go car shopping with my dad on Sunday, so we’ll see about getting a new or used car. I’m open to anything at this poin.
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Ace in a RS jersey, but the second I saw him pop up on the screen with a typical douchy Red Sox beard I hope the Yankees pound him
“I don’t tap dance upon command.”
Funny, all you’ve been doing is dancing.
But this is getting silly. Here’s a peace offering..
WINNING AND LOSING PITCHER
10.19 (a) Credit the starting pitcher with a game won only if he has pitched at least five complete innings and his team not only is in the lead when he is replaced but remains in the lead the remainder of the game.
(b) The “must pitch five complete innings” rule in respect to the starting pitcher shall be in effect for all games of six or more innings. In a five inning game, credit the starting pitcher with a game won if he has pitched at least four complete innings and his team not only is in the lead when he is replaced but remains in the lead the remainder of the game.
(c) When the starting pitcher cannot be credited with the victory because of the provisions of 10.19 (a) or (b) and more than one relief pitcher is used, the victory shall be awarded on the following basis:
(1) When, during the tenure of the starting pitcher, the winning team assumes the lead and maintains it to the finish of the game, credit the victory to the relief pitcher judged by the scorer to have been the most effective;
(2) Whenever the score is tied the game becomes a new contest insofar as the winning and losing pitcher is concerned;
(3) Once the opposing team assumes the lead all pitchers who have pitched up to that point are excluded from being credited with the victory except that if the pitcher against whose pitching the opposing team gained the lead continues to pitch until his team regains the lead, which it holds to the finish of the game, that pitcher shall be the winning pitcher;
(4) The winning relief pitcher shall be the one who is the pitcher of record when his team assumes the lead and maintains it to the finish of the game.
EXCEPTION: Do not credit a victory to a relief pitcher who is ineffective in a brief appearance, when a succeeding relief pitcher pitches effectively in helping his team maintain the lead. In such cases, credit the succeeding relief pitcher with the victory.
(d) When a pitcher is removed for a substitute batter or substitute runner, all runs scored by his team during the inning in which he is removed shall be credited to his benefit in determining the pitcher of record when his team assumes the lead.
(e) Regardless of how many innings the first pitcher has pitched, he shall be charged with the loss of the game if he is replaced when his team is behind in the score, or falls behind because of runs charged to him after he is replaced, and his team thereafter fails either to tie the score or gain the lead.
(f) No pitcher shall be credited with pitching a shutout unless he pitches the complete game, or unless he enters the game with none out before the opposing team has scored in the first inning, puts out the side without a run scoring and pitches all the rest of the game. When two or more pitchers combine to pitch a shutout a notation to that effect should be included in the league’s official pitching records.
(g) In some non championship games (such as the Major League All Star Game) it is provided in advance that each pitcher shall work a stated number of innings, usually two or three. In such games, it is customary to credit the victory to the pitcher of record, whether starter or reliever, when the winning team takes a lead which it maintains to the end of the game, unless such pitcher is knocked out after the winning team has a commanding lead, and the scorer believes a subsequent pitcher is entitled to credit for the victory.
Hughes has started some big games now so this isn’t that unfamilar of territory for him. Which is good. He has an opportunity to come up really big today with a great start.
Curiously, I’m wondering if the Sux gave any $$$$ to the Japanese cause. A moment of silence is nice but it doesn’t help them rebuild. If the Sux did, well good for them.
john henry’s wife clearly married him for his money….. she is so out of his league.
Tek’s C on his jersey is short for codger.
That is a big-ass flag!
Not sure how many watched part of the White Sox/Devil Rays game last night, but, Edwin Jackson was sensational. Big fastball, control and a nasty, nasty slider.
The the Yanks make a deal for a starter, this is the gut that I target. He’s good and has the potential to be even better. If Peavy cpmes back around June and Chicago isn’t getting it done, Jackson is the most realistic option to go after. Carpenter is good, but, isn’t a very long term choice for me, and not so sure he could succeed at his age and in that division.
stuckey,
What is up with that post?
To answer your question to trisha, she has said several times she doesn’t think the “Sux” make the playoffs.
Awwww. Stuckey is crying me a river!
wow i just heard the jets fly over…… thought a plane was crashing into my building
LGY, thank you.
LGY, stuckey is so wrapped up in his own rhetoric that he actually doesn’t read much beyond his speeches and anything that has his name in it.
Hope Hughes has his velo today. Throwing 88 MPH FB/cutters against their lefties will be tough to watch
This is probably the best configuration of their lineup that they can put out there too. Will be interesting what they do vs. lefties though
I like Jackson as well, but he is not really a long term option either.
He is a FA at the end of the year.
Mrs. Dog and I are waiting anxiously for Mr. Jeter to become his old self. Teen aged Daughter Dog will be with us this weekend and she is also somewhat anxious about the Captain’s long awaited return to form. Her theory is that the Rivalry will get his Mojo working.
Ain’t she cute? (She takes after me of course).
GO YANKEES!!!!!
gb7 – the sox gave up quite a bit to get jackson, i don’t know how thrilled they would be to move him. they should be easily competing for the AL central.
Coming out from under the flag? Too weird.
hope we see some wakefield this weekend.
Mo got the loudest cheers not because he’s one of the greatest Yanks/closers of all time, but he blew the lead that led the Sox to win their first championship in over 80 years!
Trisha, the Red Sox gave money to Japan. $50000. Their Japanese players also gave money, Okajima and Dicey K gave personal donations, but I don’t know how much.
Trishy–
“Itsuki Shoda will join American Red Cross volunteers at the Home Plate Gate prior to today’s game to collect donations to help the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
On Monday, the Red Sox announced it would be collecting donations to support relief efforts in Japan, and as of Wednesday, more than $110,000 in fan donations had been raised, including more than $4,600 at the gates prior to Monday night’s game at City of Palms Park. The Red Sox Foundation has committed to donating an additional $50,000, and Matsuzaka, Okajima, Tazawa and Shoda are each making personal donations.”
http://www.naplesnews.com/news.....artner=RSS
Fenway, along with Wrigley, are the two best parks I’ve ever been to to watch a game. Fenway gets filthy fast, not surprising when you consider who their fans are, but everybody should go at least once. A real experience
Hughes looks like a different pitcher from who he was last year.