Hughes back on top: Yankees starting pitcher Phil Hughes got back in the win column on Tuesday, giving up just two runs in six innings as the Yankees topped the Royals, 3-2. Hughes was hurt by the longball once again, giving up his 11th of the season to Jeff Franceour in the fourth inning, however he managed to silence the Royals otherwise, scattering five hits and two walks in his six innings to push his record to 4-5. Hughes struck out seven in the game, matching his season high. (Updated 05/22/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/25/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Hughes continues to struggle keeping the ball in the yard, allowing 11 home runs in 47 1/3 innings, becoming the first pitcher since 2006 to allow at least one home run in each of his first nine starts. That is the only bad mark on his season so far, however it has led to a 4.94 ERA. He is posting career-best walk and strikeout rates, but he is going to need to get those home runs under control. He has been better recently, posting a 2.80 ERA over his last four starts. Hughes is set to a be a two-start pitcher during Week 9 (May 28-June 3), facing the Angels and Tigers. He can be used in deeper mixed leagues with two starts, however note that he has an ERA over 4.50 for his career against both teams, so he is still just a low-end Fantasy option. (Updated 05/22/2012).
05/17/2012 22:02 Bautista homers again; Blue Jays deal faltering Yankees third loss in row
Jose Bautista and J.P. Arencibia each hit two-run home runs, Drew Hutchison won back-to-back starts for the first time and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 4-1 on Thursday night, sweeping their two-game series.
05/12/2012 19:07 Hughes, Ibanez send Yanks past M's
Phil Hughes won consecutive starts for the first time this season, Raul Ibanez homered against his former team for the second day in a row and the Yankees beat former New York prospect Hector Noesi in a 6-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.
05/11/2012 12:20 Treating Fantasy like the game it is
There are plenty of under-the-radar types in Fantasy that are delivering for a handful of owners. Our Nando Di Fino comes up with a creative way to get his point across about a few of his favorite sleepers.
05/06/2012 17:27 Cano slam helps Yanks earn split in K.C.
Robinson Cano hit his eighth career grand slam, Alex Rodriguez added a three-run shot and the New York Yankees roughed up Luke Hochevar in a 10-4 win over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.
05/06/2012 17:00 Andy Pettitte roughed up in Triple-A
Yankees starting pitcher Andy Pettitte made his first Triple-A start Sunday afternoon for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and it was not what one would call successful.
In five innings, Pettitte allowed eight hits, five runs (three earned) and two walks while striking out five.
Coming off an 18-win season that included a trip to the All-Star game, Phil Hughes was supposed to take the next step toward becoming a mainstay in the Yankees rotation in 2011. Instead, he went all Chien-Ming Wang on his Fantasy owners (2009, anyone?), imploding with a 13.94 ERA in his first three starts. It's not like his problems began there. Reports of his reduced velocity first surfaced in spring training, and when his fastball was still topping out in the 80s come April ... well, you can understand why he struggled. Fortunately, a couple months of rest helped him regain his velocity, and he was at least competent to close out the season. But the ordeal weighed on the front office to the point that it no longer considers Hughes a lock for the starting rotation. He'll probably beat out Freddy Garcia for the fifth spot this spring, but with Andy Pettitte signing a minor-league deal midway through spring training, no one can guarantee Hughes will remain in the rotation even if he pitches well. Still, given his upside on a playoff-caliber team, he's at least worth a late-round pick in mixed leagues. (Updated 3/27/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
= probable start