Hughes delivers gem in 8-0 victory

There are no words to describe how good Phil Hughes has been this year. (I’ll try and come up with a few tomorrow.)

Hughes pitched seven shutout innings and the Yankees (22-11) broke the game open in the ninth to win 8-0 and split the doubleheader with the Tigers (19-15).

Quick ‘Cap:
After getting shut out for the first time all year in the afternoon, Alex Rodriguez put the Yankees on the board with a single in the first inning after Brett Gardner singled and stole second.

After the Yanks made it 2-0 in the third, Hughes worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth with a strikeout and an infield flyout. The AL ERA leader finished with eight strikeouts in his third straight seven-inning performance.

In the ninth, the Yanks exploded for six runs (four charged to ex-Yankee Phil Coke) on three singles, a double, a hit by pitch and a walk. Mark Teixeira continued his hot month with three RBIs and Gardner contributed three hits to his .337 batting average.

Mariano Rivera was in line for a save — bridged beautifully by Joba Chamberlain — until the Yanks rallied, but Mo came on anyway to get some work. After all, he hadn’t pitched yet this month. And when he came in, he was same old Mo. Yankees-Tigers box score.

Thoughts:
Hughes was huge. Yankee pitching today: 17 IP, 2 ER. Yankee starters today: 14 IP, 2 ER. Unreal.

Line of the Night:
Hughes: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, BB, 8 K. His ERA is now 1.38.

Up Next:
The Yankees look to even the series with their ace, CC Sabathia, on the mound. The game is set for 1:05 p.m.