…don’t say anything at all?
That would make my job a little easier than normal tonight, because right now there is nothing nice to say about the Yankees.
Here’s the best I can do: Phil Hughes has been decent for four straight games. He’s struck out 22 against only five walks. But I can’t go past decent because of the taters. The only certainty about the Yanks this year is that Hughes will let up a long ball – at least one in each game so far, ten total in eight starts.
I think I know why we’re kinda nuts over Phil Hughes and his developmental path. Sometimes we see him uncork fastballs that overpower hitters for a couple of games in a row. We’ve already had very high expectations due to the hype he generated during his Minor League career and then we see him blow guys away sometimes.
That’s the path he should be on, but we also see him toss batting practice half the time. So the path he’s on now must be the one the Yankees created for him with their incompetence. That’s probably partially right, but I think Hughes has a lot to do with this himself.
The fastball plays sometimes, but I’ve only rarely seen that loopy curve ball fool anybody. David Robertson throws the Platonic Ideal of the Nardi Contreras “spiked-curve” and Phil Hughes throws the Play-Doh version. And the 86 MPH cutter seems like a mistake every time he throws it. It was the cutter that Jose Bautista jacked to give the Jays a 2-1 lead and it was all they needed as the Yanks didn’t score another run. Jays 4 – Yanks 1.
The Jays, behind a rookie named, let’s look up the spelling, Drew Hutchison, punched so many holes in the bottom of the order they’d fail to qualify as swiss cheese for lack of substance. The fourth through ninth batters went 1 for 21 with 2 walks in the game. Ouch.
In the game thread, Ara Just Fair mentioned that the Yanks are 3 for their last 40 with RISP. Double ouch.
It’s not that fun when the Yanks don’t win, and especially so when they don’t hit. When they are going like this, it seems like it would take a miracle to bust the score truck out of the impound lot. But it will happen sooner rather than later and we’ll be laughing about this one and all the others like it.
Won’t we?
Photo by Abelimages/AP
This game was the first in MLB history to have a Brazilian born player take part. That's about all we should remember.
And, a good excuse to listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUCayuDcMto
I got the 3 for 39 stat with risp from Lohud earlier today. Sadly, I began typing the 3 for 40 comment during a Teixiera at bat. I knew deep down I wouldn't have to delete it. Oi! Though Hughes looks better, he still throws too many pitches and when he misses he misses by feet, not inches. Your average major leaguer ain't offering at pitches not even close.
Now in the last 9 losses it's 3 for 60. .050. Holy Fucking Cannoli! At least the Heat lost, too. : )
[0] his developmental path.
Shouldn't that be his non-developmental path? What frustrates me the most about Hughes is not that he'll never into a start anywhere close to what the hype suggested, it's that I don't feel he was given much of a chance. I mean, sure, the organization gave him lots of rope, no doubt. But between the injuries and the EIGHT INNING experience, it feels like he's lost three years of development as a starter. He's 26 y.o. in his sixth (!) season with the big club, and it feels like he's still in his second big league season.
I will also say that I have pretty much lost interest in following the team this season, other than keeping an eye on Jeter as he climbs the all-time hits ladder.