Tonight Phil Hughes will take the mound for the first time since May 19 when he defeated the New York Mets 5-3 for his 10th win of the season.  Hughes’ next start would have originally been on the 25th against the Dodgers, but he was skipped in the rotation.  Everyone knew immediately why this was done.  Like Joba Chamberlain had to deal with the “Joba Rules,” Hughes will now have to deal with the “Hughes Rules.”

What are these so called “rules?”  Joe Girardi wants to keep his young pitchers fresh and healthy not just for the upcoming postseason, but for their future as baseball players.  What frightens fans most is the reminder of the effect the “rules” had on Joba and how they may effect Hughes.  In my opinion, I do not think the “rules” will have a negative effect on Hughes.

When Joba was a starting pitcher, he had issues with or without the “rules.”  To me he was always a bullpen pitcher.  If there’s one thing he did consistently, it was last throughout three or four innings before the velocity of his fastballs went down.  Joba is a three or four inning pitcher which is a great tool to have for the bullpen instead of a starting pitcher.  Another problem with Joba was that he doesn’t have the confidence as a starting pitcher like he does as a reliever.  Confidence needs to go both ways if you want to be capable of performing in both situations.

When Phil Hughes first became a starter for the Yankees, he was not very confident either.  Because of this, he had some of the worst outings of his young career.  Joe Girardi made the move last year to put Hughes in the bullpen.  This turned out to be one of the best managerial decisions I believe Joe has ever made.  After being in the bullpen, Hughes gained a lot of confidence as a pitcher.  His velocity went up and was able to locate pitches where he wanted them.  In spring training he took his confidence from the bullpen and moved it to the starting rotation where he is today.

I think Hughes will handle the situation of the “Hughes rules” very well.  He has the confidence Joba didn’t have and he’s able to go deep into games when Joba couldn’t.  His velocity is very consistent and lasts througout the entire game when Joba’s didn’t.  Phil Hughes is basically the opposite of Joba Chamberlain in the starting rotation.

Tonight will be a real test for Hughes to show that he will not let the “rules” effect him negatively.  He’ll be facing the Seattle Mariners against Cliff Lee, who has knocked around the Yankees before (most recently in the World Series).  The lineup Phil Hughes will be facing will not be the greatest lineup.  His greatest challenge will be Ichiro Suzuki who is the only batter on the entire team with a batting average over .300 (.333).  The Mariners have not been playing well either.  They are in last in the AL West with a 31-44 record.  However, this does not mean they won’t give Hughes a challenge.  If Phil Hughes can give a fresh and stellar performance tonight I think all Yankees fans will be able to sleep peacefully.