So...Who Starts Saturday?

That is a major question that looms over the team as they begin their road trip. It's going to get answered sooner or later, but let's look at the two primary candidates a little closer.

Phil Hughes had a chance to cement himself as the Yankees’ best option to try and fill the #5 slot in the rotation this past Sunday. However, he struggled with his command was knocked around in his start against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (great name for a minor league baseball team). His line for the night was 3.2 IP 8 H 5 ER 0 BB 4 K. After the game he spoke to Chad Jennings who covers the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees for their local paper, and Hughes attributed his struggles to leaving too many pitches over the plate and going through a bit of a dead arm period resulting in diminished velocity and life on his fastball.

The phrase dead arm sounds worse than it actually is: Hughes has been out of action since late April, so he was bound to hit a wall after resuming the regular every-5-days routine for a pitcher. It seems like there is little cause for concern in terms of Phil’s health, but his stuff was simply not as sharp Sunday as it had been during his earlier rehab starts.

The other strong candidate, according to this report on ESPN, is the much-maligned Carl Pavano. He also pitched on Sunday, though his start was at Double A Trenton. He fared much better than Hughes, as his line read: 6 IP 6 H 1 ER 1 BB 6 K. When you look at Pavano’s numbers and consider his major league track record (he’s done it for longer, won more games than Hughes), he would seem to distance himself as the best candidate for Saturday. However, Pavano is still only in his 3rd start back from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery. So one assumes that he normally would be on a slower-paced rehab timetable based on his injury’s severity. However, this is Carl Pavano we’re talking about, the man that has done jack diddly to earn the almost $39.95 million the Yankees have paid him during his 3 years on the organization’s payroll.

Perhaps he gets the first call in this his final 2 months with the organization in an effort to get something, anything out of that wasted investment. Whenever he gets called up (it has to happen sooner or later, because he’s only on a 30-day rehab assignment, as he hasn’t been demoted to the minors), it will be a huge distraction in the Yankees’ clubhouse. That said, I don’t think that the team’s feelings will be part of the decision making process re: Saturday’s starter.

My final guess is that it will be Carl Pavano in Baltimore on Saturday, and it will be quite a weird day. I think that the team will want to try the veteran first, with the hope that he will not feel any added personal pressure joining a team chasing a playoff spot. It’s dually productive because it gives Hughes more time to try and get his arm in shape and build up personal confidence by being successful at AAA. Furthermore, if Pavano is a terrible flop in his, say, two starts, and Hughes pitches well at Scranton, then they can switch to Hughes for #5.

All in all, I think Pavano makes the most sense on a lot of fronts. I would rather watch Hughes pitch, but I will also gladly sign up for the high drama and trainwreck/bizarre hero potential of seeing Pavano on the mound for the Yankees. Honestly, whoever they pick out of Phil or Pavano, Saturday’s game will be a must-watch for Yankees fans.