Yankees Having Their "Phil"

Phil Hughes earned his first Major League save last night in the Yankees 6-3 win over the Athletics. Who would've thought that would happen last year? But, that's just how crazy this season has been for the Yankees.

At the beginning of the year, the Yankees bullpen was awful. They couldn't bridge the gap to Mariano Rivera, and even Mo was a little shaky. Phil Hughes had been put into the starting rotation when Chien Ming Wang was on the DL, and Hughes didn't fair well. Despite a 3-2 record, he had 5.45 ERA, giving up 22 runs in just over 34 innings.

Then in early June, Hughes was shifted to the bullpen when Wang returned, and rather than complain about his new role, he embraced the idea of a new challenge and sought to help cure one of the team's biggest problems.

The results have been simply amazing. As a reliever, he is 1-0 with an ERA of 0.74 in 17 appearances. His line: 24.1 IP, 12 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 28 K. He has now gone 15 straight games without allowing a run, dating back to June 10th in Boston, totaling nearly 20 innings of scoreless baseball. He has no doubt taken grasp of the set-up role and filled it admirably, creating a nearly unbreakable bridge to Mariano Rivera.

However, he is not alone. Phil Coke has also helped out tremendously since Hughes was moved to the pen. Hughes' first relief appearance was June 8th. Since then, Coke has given up a total of 6 runs in 18.1 innings, an ERA of 2.95. He has become much better against lefties and is striking out batters much more frequently. Coke has joined Hughes along with Alfredo Aceves (23 IP, 6 ER, 2.35 ERA since Hughes' first relief appearance) to build one of the best bullpens in baseball.

The Yankees still have some kinks to work out. Brian Bruney is nowhere near the pitcher he was early in the season. David Robertson still has had some rough outings. However, the Yankees bullpen has become one of the best in baseball. With their line-up and starting rotation, if the Yankees have a lead through 5 or 6 innings, the game is pretty much over. This is why the Yankees have a 2.5 game lead in the AL East and are playing the best baseball in the league.

I still think Phil Hughes is going to be a starter down the line. His stuff is just too good to keep him in the bullpen for an inning or two here and there. However, right now, the need isn't for a starter, it's for a set-up man. Hughes is providing that for the Yankees and isn't complaining about it. What more could the Yankees ask for?