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Phil Hughes was just about on the edge of being removed from the New York Yankees' starting rotation upon the return of Andy Pettitte tomorrow, but after a great start against the Seattle Mariners, Hughes will keep his spot. Against Seattle, Hughes went 7.2 innings, allowing one run on six hits with four strikeouts and left two runners on in the eighth after being relieved by Boone Logan. The 25-year-old threw 112 pitches on the afternoon, and it was clear manager Joe Girardi was trying to help Hughes build some confidence with his longest start of the 2012 season. It was clearly his best start of the season. This was Hughes' second straight solid start and while both were against the likes of the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners, it'll be enough momentum to keep him in the starting five. That would mean David Phelps will move back to the bullpen and according ...

You would've thought Freddy Garcia of the New York Yankees would be able to at least last until Andy Pettitte comes back, but he simply doesn't deserve to stay in the rotation after another horrible start against the Detroit Tigers.Garcia went 1.2 innings and allowed six runs on five hits, bumping his ERA to 12.51. The veteran starter looks like a shell of the pitcher Yankee fans saw in 2011.In turn, the Bombers are taxing their bullpen every time Garcia takes the ball and that's a problem even for a team with a solid bullpen. Starts like Garcia's wear down a 'pen and can turn the most effective relievers into jello arms.So what should the Yanks do?The most immediate solution would be to swap Garcia and David Phelps, the Yanks' current long-man in the bullpen. Phelps has been almost perfect out of the bullpen, with a few bad outings against the ...

The New York Yankees flat-out embarrassed the Boston Red Sox with a nine-run comeback that turned a 9-0 deficit into a 15-9 win for the Bombers and sent the Sox to rock bottom.It finally seemed like the Red Sox were going to get their 2012 campaign against their arch-rivals going in the second game of the first series of the season.The Red Sox were in a bad way going into this game with their players not taking kindly to a loud-mouth manager and a poor start. To add to that, it was the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park and the Yankees had just smacked five homers the day before.New York was about to allow its rivals to gain some kind of momentum and blow them out of the water. Boston's 9-0 lead looked insurmountable.And then the sixth inning came. And then the seventh and the eighth. Before they knew it, the ...

Phillip Humber is now the 21st pitcher in Major League Baseball history to throw a perfect game and the seventh ex-New York Met to throw either a perfect game or a no hitter with a different team.The Mets have never thrown a no-hitter in the history of their franchise.Now, the occurrence of just a few instances could be seen as coincidence. But the fact that we're now up to seven different former Mets etching their names into baseball history is simply too much to ignore.Let's count them, shall we? Thanks to NoNoHitters.com for this one.Nolan Ryan pitched seven no-hitters during his Hall of Fame career, but they all came after he was traded by the New York Mets. And Tom Seaver finally got his sole no-hitter as a Cincinnati Red during his first season away from the Mets. In fact, seven former Mets pitched no-hitters after leaving New York. Mike Scott ...

The New York Yankees shut Michael Pineda down today after the young right-hander suffered a setback during his start in an extended spring training game. This will almost certainly end Pineda's chances of making the rotation in 2012.According to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger, Pineda experienced weakness in his throwing shoulder after his latest start. GM Brian Cashman is concerned because Pineda, "still isn't healthy."Pineda went on the 15-day DL to start the season and has been in Tampa ever since. He was slated to return to the team around early June, but now, that date will undoubtedly be pushed back.The Bombers will take their time with Pineda, as they have a lot invested in him (Jesus Montero) and there is simply no rush to bring him back.New York is infamous for being overly-cautious with their young starters as is the rest of the MLB nowadays and Pineda's case will ...

In two starts this season, Phil Hughes has yet to show the New York Yankees that he belongs in the team's starting rotation and in turn, could be sent packing to the bullpen when Andy Pettitte returns. Hughes pitched worse than he did in his first start against the Tampa Bay Rays when he went 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out five. Against the Los Angeles Angels in his second start of 2012, Hughes went 3.1 innings and allowed six runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out six. When Pettitte does make his inevitable return, it will be either Hughes or veteran Freddy Garcia that will get the boot since, at the moment, they are the Yanks' two worst starters. Hughes has the advantage over Garcia because of his age and upside, but if Garcia can prove that he ...

It's easy for the Hiroki Kuroda doubters to come out in full force after his shaky debut with the New York Yankees, but realistically, you can take very little from any starter's first outing of the season. If first starts were everything, CC Sabathia wouldn't be that good. New York's No. 2 starter went 5.2 innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits with fours walks and two strikeouts. Right off the bat, Kuroda got into trouble thanks to predictably shaky fielding from Eduardo Nunez. The young infielder booted the first play of the game which was a routine ground ball and should've been an easy out. The Rays made the most out of the extra out and after retiring the next two batters, Kuroda's control issues became apparent after two consecutive walks. Luke Scott would make him pay with a two-run single to give Tampa Bay an early lead. Had Nunez made that ...

With the start of the season only days away, Ivan Nova doesn't appear to be getting any stronger for the New York Yankees, if his last outing of spring training is any indication. So is there something wrong? Coming into his start against the New York Mets, Nova was 1-2 with a 6.86 ERA. He allowed 15 earned runs in 19.2 innings pitched this spring. But it didn't get any better facing the Mets. Nova went 2.2 innings and allowed five runs on eight hits in his last tune-up before the new year begins. It was easily one of his worst starts of 2012 so far. Nova's confidence seemed to take a hit after the beat down, according to Sweeney Murti of WFAN. "Today was one of the worst days of my life…I felt good today but I couldn't throw strikes."--Ivan Nova. Funny that this comes on the day when Nova ...

Andy Pettitte's much-anticipated comeback for the New York Yankees won't officially kick-off until he gets his first start of the spring, but according to the New York Post, the Yankees legend is set to do so sometime next week. Pettitte made his comeback announcement on March 16th, and given the normal month and a half or so it takes most pitchers to get ready for the season, the 39 year old won't be able to take the mound until May 1st at the earliest. According to the same report, Pettitte threw 20 pitches in batting practice on Tuesday (3/27) and then went on to throw 13 more in a simulated game. He faced four batters during the simulation. He is expected to have another session similar to Tuesday's on either Friday or Saturday of this week. Look for Pettitte to take the mound for his first start of the spring on either Tuesday ...

As long as there is a trade market, the New York Yankees will never be finished trying to perfect their roster as such a feat is nearly impossible in Major League Baseball. But with an abnormal amount of depth in their starting rotation and a few players on their contract years, New York has plenty of options should they find any player on the trading block attractive. Say, Matt Cain, Cole Hamels or perhaps a top prospect? Wishful thinking, of course, but it doesn't change the fact that the Yankees have a ton of trade assets this season. Here's a look at some players who could be traded during the 2012 season.Begin Slideshow