New York Yankees: Will Andy Pettitte Bump Phil Hughes from Rotation?
April 27, 2012 · Bill Ford · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
New York Yankees starting pitcher Phil Hughes had another frustrating outing, going just 2.2 innings against the Rangers on Wednesday.
The Rangers gave Hughes a solid beating early in the game, from which he was not able to recover.
Hughes gave up three runs early in the third inning, and he hit two batters in that inning. He had hit just four batters in the last two seasons, indicating that he has lost control of his pitches.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi plans to give Hughes more opportunities on the mound in an attempt to make him successful, but we have to wonder how much longer the Yankees organization will let Hughes go.
It could be that Hughes simply needs one huge outing to rebuild his confidence after struggling so much this season.
Andy Pettitte has made solid progress while pitching in the minors in preparation to join the Yankees.
Pitching for the Double-A Trenton Thunder on Wednesday, he pitched over five innings, throwing 59 strikes, recording three strikeouts and giving up one walk and four runs in 81 pitches.
Pettitte said that it was a positive outing, but he knows that he’s not ready to join with the Yankees just yet.
He said to MLB.com, “I wasn’t happy with my command. I made a few more mistakes than I had in my other starts. The weather was obviously different than it was in Florida, which is something I have to get used to, as well.”
Pettitte’s fastball was clocked at 87 to 88 mph. Brian Cashman was happy with Pettitte’s performance, but agreed that Pettitte is not ready to face batters in the major leagues yet.
Personally, I like Hughes and I want to him have every possible opportunity to regain his control and composure to be successful. I just wonder how much more time the Yankees will give him to get there.
Pettitte is getting closer to being ready. Freddy Garcia has not performed well either, but if Cashman had to make a decision soon, I fear that Hughes would be bumped from the rotation.
We’ll soon find out.
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