Hughes No Hitter Alert

And the Phillies have no one they can bring up that would make any kind of instant positive impact yet.

 

Amazing... last year the Yankees had Hughes on a strict 5-inning limit while in AA to avoid overworking him (they let him go a little longer in the playoff game he started). Now he tweaks his hammy in the 7th, perhaps his longest outing in two years or more. Coincidence or is there a connection?

 

I am thinking Mayfly should focus on the Phillies, who are playing some pretty good ball right now. Rowand will soon cool off, but I hope he can continue some kind of decent hitting. Chase will be Chase and Ryan will soon go ballistic. Is there something wrong with me worrying about the Yankees' prospects? Isn't it the MLB for a reason? If I am a baseball fan, I enjoy all aspects of the game. The Phillies will be fine, Hamels will be better than Hughes, and Howard will get another MVP.

 

Phil Hughes, pampered prospect, has NEVER thrown more than 89 pitches in a game on any professional level. He popped his hamstring last night on pitch No. 83.

As long as teams are content to nurture 6 inning pitchers, young prospects will get hurt their arms, legs, back or something.
They don't throw enough on the lower levels, they don't build arm strength, they don't build leg strength, they don't build stamina.

 

It had nothing to do with overwork....Hughes simply talked with Carl Pavano who said "dude, life is good. I pitch off a flat surface every couple of days and pick up a $600-thousand dollar paycheck every couple of weeks. I drive around South Florida in a rag top and a hot chick next to me." Mama Hughes didn't raise no dummy.

 

The loss of Hughes, the lack of starting pitching and debacle-that-masquarades-as-a-bullpen kind of forces Cashman to overpay for Clemens, yes?

 

Probably. Clemens has all the leverage, that's for sure.

 

No. No more than he had before. First, Hughes isn't getting back much later than Clemens would show up, if at all. Second, they don't have to go to Redding or Ponson (who now looks pretty good ironically enough), as Ohlendorf, DeSalvo, Clippard & Rasner are all better in house options that seem close to ready.

Edit: I don't mean to say better than Clemens, but better than emergencies past.

 

Two things:

1) Hughes had 12 starts last year that went 6 innings or longer, including one on June 23 (the night before he turned 20) where he carried a no-hitter into the eighth. Gave up a hit in the eighth and was pulled after that inning. From then on, he pitched no more than five innings at a time.

2) What caused his hamstring pull was an over-stride on that delivery, which can happen as a result of "muscling up" to put a little extra on a pitch.

 

It just occured to me that things like Hughes and Karstens injuries, along with those of Pavano et al. only happen to cursed franchises.

So the question must be asked: Are the Yankees cursed?

Seriously, I'm kidding. No-one believes in that stuff, right chicagoSportsJournalists.com?

 

I'll buy that.

 

Shelled? He gave up four runs in his first start and the last two came on a pair of singles and a sac fly. The biggest reason he came out was that he was on a strict pitch count. He threw too many balls in that outing, but he was far from shelled. It was a mediocre outing, but it wasn't a shelling.

Texas got no-hit by the White Sox, sure, but it also is in the middle of the league in runs scored, so it's not exactly an anemic offense.

Have you actually watched him pitch? I sincerely doubt it. I don't see how anyone can look at his 94-96 mph heater, 87-89 mph change and that nasty curveball and -- after two outings (one of which included a no-hit bid thwarted by injury) -- predict that he'll be a bust.

There are all sorts of things that can happen to him, and he may never live up to his billing. But there is nothing in his two starts at the big league level that would indicate a "bust."

It seems to me you're a combination of one or all of the following three things: A Red Sox fan, someone who hates the Yankees, or a troll.