As for Hughes (left), he's scheduled for 65-70 pitches on Thursday. I've had some people ask if he's wearing glasses and I can tell you that he has them -- they look like Edwar's -- but he isn't wearing them on the mound. He has contacts.
Pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras is here with Hughes and watched both of his rehabs in Charleston. Contreras said Hughes looked about as good in his last start as he ever has with the Yankees. His fastball command and velocity were both very good -- 93 to 95 mph, not 101 like the stadium gun showed -- and Contreras said the curveball was as sharp as it's been since 2006 when Hughes was so good for Trenton.
"His last outing was great," Contreras said. "He threw the baseball that day like I saw him when he went up and tore up that Eastern League. He really threw the ball well. That was encouraging. The way he was throwing before he hurt his hamstring (with New York), remember? That's how he was throwing the baseball."
As you would expect, Hughes said he hasn't been given any sort of time table for a possible return to New York, but he's obviously itching to get back in the big league mix.
"I was as shocked as anybody to find out it was a stress fracture," Hughes said. "I thought it was a lat issue, I didn't even know it was my rib cage. It was definitely frustrating the way I was pitching and then that. I just want to make the most out of what's left of the year."
I'd trust Nardi over anybody in this organization. If this is true, and his curveball is where it was back in the Eastern League, then that is very good to hear. I haven't seen a consistently good curveball from Phil since his Texas no-hitter and his starts in AAA before then.
Maybe the stress fracture had something to do with his troubles this year?
