Hughes looks to rebound vs. A's

Phl Hughes, tonight's starter against Oakland, is 15-6 with a 4.12 earned run average. Forget about his innings count. He needs to build some good outings as the playoffs approach.

Hughes was beat up for five earned runs on six hits (and five walks) in his last start against the Blue Jays. He lasted only 3 2/3 innings.

Hughes was 10-1 with a 3.17 ERA when the Yankees had him skip a start on June 24, his 24th birthday. He's 5-5 since that time. 

Compare Hughes to other 15 game winners around baseball and he really does not compare. Clay Buchholz (2.21), Tim Hudson (2.24), David Price (3.01) and even Carl Pavano (3.52) have much better earned run averages.

A month-by-month look at Hughes:

April   2-0     2.00

May   4-1      3.03

June  4-1      5.17

July   2-2       5.52

Aug.  3-2       4.33