Yanks to skip Hughes against LA because of innings limit

PHOENIX - Phil Hughes knew this was coming, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "It's definitely a disappointment," he said before last night's game against Arizona.

Manager Joe Girardi told Hughes (10-1) on Sunday that because of his innings limit, he won't start Friday in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. Instead of making four starts before the All-Star break, Hughes - who turns 24 Thursday - will make three. He'll start next Tuesday against the Mariners at Yankee Stadium.

"He's at 82 innings, we've played [69] games," Girardi said. "This is a chance that we can do it where we have an off-day on Thursday and an off-day on Monday and you're not really abusing the other guys."

Girardi said the thought process on skipping Hughes, whose limit is believed to be in the neighborhood of 170 innings - not including the postseason - started about three weeks ago, though he waited to tell Hughes.

"There's a reason that you don't tell him," he said. "You can't predict what's going to happen, number one, and number two, I don't want it to be in his mind over his next couple starts. I wanted him to be focused on only that start. Once he got through his start and CC [Sabathia] got through his start [Sunday], that's when I told him."

Hughes said he does not know his innings limit and has not asked. His only concern was how many times he'd be skipped before the break, and Girardi assured him it would be just once.

For the moment, the move means Hughes will assume the fourth spot in the rotation ahead of Javier Vazquez, who starts Wednesday against Arizona and then the following Wednesday against Seattle. But that likely will change after the break. As Girardi indicated, with the Yankees having four days off at the All-Star break, Hughes will start the second half of the season at the back end of the rotation.

In many ways, Hughes is a victim of his own success. Shortly after naming him the fifth starter in spring training, Girardi joked about the innings limit being a problem only if Hughes averaged about seven innings a start. He's averaged exactly 61/3 in surpassing all expectations, including his own.

"It's a great problem and I hope it continues, because that means he's pitching well if he's pitching seven innings and into the eighth most of the time," said Girardi, who later said Hughes might have to be skipped again at some point in the second half. "I hope that problem continues and we'll adjust from there."

Hughes, a Californian who was to have his parents and a few other family members in attendance Friday at Dodgers Stadium, isn't concerned about this disrupting his rhythm.

"I think there can be if you take it the wrong way," he said. "I'm going to take the approach of benefiting from the extra days and hopefully be stronger on Tuesday. I don't think there's going to be a setback from this at all. I don't really view it that way. It's almost like getting a few days off in spring training or something, so I'm not really too worried about it.''

Notes & quotes: Though Jorge Posada has felt some aching in his right foot in the games he's caught, Girardi has been pleased with the way he has come through those games. He hopes to catch Posada, who started last night, in four of the six games on this trip . . . Girardi noticed "a little hitch" when Derek Jeter, who sat out Saturday with a bruised right heel, ran Sunday. He said that although he's not concerned, it's something "I'll pay attention to." . . . With Thursday being an off day, Girardi said he hopes to play Alex Rodriguez all six games of the trip . . . With Posada apparently OK to catch more games and because of the number of righties in Arizona's bullpen, the Yankees called up lefthanded-hitting outfielder Colin Curtis and designated catcher Chad Moeller for assignment. Curtis lined out to center as a pinch hitter Monday night in the Yankees' 10-4 loss to Arizona . . . The Yankees have gone 17-9 to the Rays' 10-15 since May 23 to turn a six-game deficit into a half-game lead.