Dr. Phil Good

Yesterday's rain out with the Jays may be a blessing in disguise. For one thing, we weren't subjected to another poor performance (starting pitching, bullpen, fielding, offense, take your pick) immediately after the back to back debacles in Tampa. It also held the losing streak at 5.

Better yet, with the Yankees wanting Phil Hughes to make his debut against the Jays , or more precisely, not against the Red Sox, Andy Pettitte will now face the Sox. Chien-Ming Wang goes on Sunday and either Jeff Karstens or Kei Igawa will go on Saturday.

The buzz surrounding tonight's game is quite amazing. The remaining tickets have been going fast since it was announced that Hughes would make his debut tonight. The game tonight is on local TV, so those without YES will even be able to get a peek at the future. My9 normally doesn't have a pre- or post-game show, but YES will have each tonight to commemorate the event.

It remains to be seen whether Hughes makes another start beyond tonight or goes back to Scranton afterwards. Either way this is the most excitement about a Yankee draft pick making his debut since Derek Jeter broke into the bigs in 1995. The Yankees haven't had much luck with most of the 1st round picks since Jeter, with Eric Milton being the only player to make a significant contribution (and it wasn't for the Yankees).

The Yankees hope this is the beginning of a trend. Their 1st pick last year, Ian Kennedy, has gotten off to a great start for Tampa and they have several other draft picks (both their own and those acquired in deals) hoping to make the jump to the majors in the near future.

We would all like a fantastic debut, but the clear-cut need is to keep the game close and make it into the 6th inning. Hughes' pitch count, which is about 90 now, could of course have an impact.

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