Phull of Garbage

It's the same recipe for Phil Hughes and the Yankees again: mo' rest, mo' problems. That's not quite the way the Notorious BIG said it almost 15 years ago, but it's a similar concept for the Yankees' right-hander, who was embarrassed by the Angels in the Bronx Tuesday night. The Yankees were silenced by a pitcher they'd never faced before (shocking) in Sean O'Sullivan, who looked like Greg Maddux at Yankee Stadium after the first inning. All of a sudden, with Hughes' struggles and innings limit, it makes you wonder if the Yankees will be forced into trading away some prospects for a mid-season solution to their starting pitching woes.

It's tough to single out one hitter when the whole team struggles for eight innings at the plate, but let's continue to talk about Curtis Granderson. After noticing that Ian Kennedy defeated the Mets on Monday night, the Granderson acquisition keeps on getting worse and worse for Cashman and the Yankees. Phil Coke was at least a solid lefty, and Damaso Marte is on the DL. Austin Jackson has tons of potential and has a batting average about 70 points higher than the Grandy Man, and now, Ian Kennedy looks like he could have been a viable option for the Yankee rotation with Andy Pettitte out until late August.

The Yankees are really screwing up Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes with their innings limit rules. Hughes has been in the big leagues since 2007, so I guess I'm confused about why he still needs these limits. Hughes' worst start of the year (until Tuesday night) came against Seattle in late June, after he was skipped over by Joe Girardi and the Yankees' Brain Trust. Since then, he has been pretty shaky, including losing the All Star Game in Anaheim. Let the kid pitch. With Pettitte out, Hughes should not be skipped at all.

ESPN's Buster Olney had a great article about Derek Jeter on ESPN.com today. I respect Derek Jeter and am incredibly thankful for what he has done for this franchise. I greatly look forward to watching him get his 3,000th hit next season. In his article written before Tuesday's game, Olney discusses Jeter's .271 batting average. If the guy's name wasn't Jeter, what would YOU pay for a 36 year old shortstop who just finished up a .271 season? The Yankees have some serious thinking to do. Here's hoping Jeter turns it around and makes the decision even easier.

The Yanks have a tough one Wednesday afternoon. Javier Vazquez takes the hill for the first time in over a week against Joel Pineiro, who already wiped the floor with the Yankees way back in April. The Baltimore Orioles gave the Yankees a complete gift by coming back and defeating the Rays in extra innings, keeping Tampa Bay 2.5 games back in the American League East. If Vazquez can't have a strong second half, Hughes is on his innings limit, and Burnett continues to need a shrink, the Yankees may be in trouble. Of course, they could always call up Kei Igawa, who is riding out the last season of his well-deserved contract.