Phil Hughes is 6-2 in his last 10 starts and appears to have settled in as a solid middle of the rotation starter for the Yankees. That is an improvement over last season, when his career was at a crossroads due to a dead arm. Once upon a time, Hughes had been ticketed as a No. 2 but he doesn't seem to have put-away stuff. Kuroda and Pettitte (when he returns) are better options for No. 2. Hughes and Nova are pretty solid as the 4-5 hurlers when this rotation is healthy.
Swisher won't play tonight and is day-to-day with what he describes as a minor left leg injury, not a hip flexor, more like something in the quad muscle. Might be seeing some DeWayne Wise tonight if Girardi chooses. Ibanez only played two innings last night, coming in for Swisher, so he's an option, too.
Watching Andruw Jones turn a double into a triple last night because he's not fast enough to run down gap shots anymore, you wonder if the Yanks might not be better off renting Shane Victorino for three months. He's one of the guys out there. There's not much to fix here and Cashman sounds like he's going to stand pat. But Gardner's surgery may have changed his thinking, especially with Ibanez and Jones have to play more games in the outfield with only Wise and Nix as backups. Yanks also lack a true CF backup for Granderson. Wise is not a CF replacement.
Edited by terrynever, 21 July 2012 - 01:48 PM.
