Hughes to get a breather this time around

The last few weeks have been rough for Phil Hughes. Toronto knocked him around twice, and while he pitched well enough against Oakland he had to leave after five innings because he had thrown 98 pitches. He has had trouble putting away hitters once he has two strikes on them, often running the count full or allowing a number of foul balls that run up his pitch count. Something will have to change if Hughes is going to help this team in the postseason.

Fatigue has become a concern for Hughes. He flatly denies it, but since when do players admit non-obvious physical issues? At 155.1 innings Hughes has now pitched 50 more innings than last season, 55.2 innings more than 2008, 45 more than 2007, and 9.1 more than 2006. A 9.1-inning increase over his previous high might not seem like a lot, but that was a different time. Not only was it four years ago, but it was also a season split between A+ and AA. It’s tough to compare that to a full year in the major league rotation.

Given the limits the Yankees have placed on his innings and the struggles he has faced of late, skipping a start was inevitable. This morning Brian Costello noticed that Dustin Moseley was listed as Sunday’s starter, following A.J. Burnett and Javy Vazquez. Later in the morning Joe Girardi announced that Hughes will start Wednesday against Tampa Bay. That certainly makes for an interesting series down in Texas, but it also makes sense if Hughes is feeling fatigued. Not only does it give him a 10-day breather, but it also keeps him out of an afternoon game in the Texas heat.

Ten days might seem like a long time between starts, and I’m sure it will be difficult for Hughes, who has started basically every fifth day this season, to cope with the change in routine. There is a chance, though, that he gets in some work between now and then. Girardi mentioned the possibility of getting him an inning out of the pen, which sounds like an excellent idea. It would be ideal on Friday, since that’s five days after his previous start and four days before his next. That, I think, could possibly instill a sense of rhythm while keeping him somewhat fresh. But that’s more spitballing than anything.

With the pitching staff a big question mark after CC Sabathia, the decision to skip Hughes must have been a difficult one. While he has struggled in some ways, he has also helped limit the damage in many starts where he doesn’t have his best stuff. He has been the second best pitcher on the staff for much of the past few months, which is more a commentary on Burnett, Vazquez, etc. than it is praise of Hughes. The Yanks are going to need him in the postseason, so taking action now seems like the right idea. We can only hope that the rest gets Hughes back on track for his last three or so starts of the season, and then the postseason.