Hughes tries to regain form vs. Angels

Phil Hughes (11-2, 3.65 ERA) starts his second half of the season tonight when he faces the Angels at Yankee Stadium. The quick two-game series ends Wednesday afternoon.

We last saw Hughes at the All-Star Game and it was not pretty. He pitched one-third of an inning, allowed two hits and two earned runs and took the loss as the National League broke the American League's 13-year unbeaten streak. Hughes' first All-Star appearance left him with a 54.00 ERA. In front of his family, no less.

Hughes had an excellent first half, albeit with some bumps toward the end.  His last start, July 9 against Seattle, was fine as he gave up one earned run in seven innings. Before that, he gave up five runs in six innings against the Blue Jays and  six runs in 5 2/3 innings against Seattle.

The Hughes Rules, which limits his number of total innings, has not really been an issue to this point.