Game 60 Wrap-Up: NYY 6 SEA 1

("Good game, Hughesy."  Courtesy of Getty Images)

While the prospect huggers of the world were getting jazzed up about the Yankees' 1st-round picks in the draft, the Major League ballclub was quickly putting the Seattle Mariners to bed out at Safeco last night.  They had Phil Hughes on the mound looking to improve upon his 0.2 IP disaster against Seattle the last time he faced them.  Hughes was very good last night, his lineup gave him plenty to work with, and this late-starting game was over early.

Game Notes:

- Hughes managed to get out of the 1st inning this time.  The second too, in 6 up/6 down fashion.  And he only needed 26 pitches to do it.

- The Yanks didn't get much off Aaron Harang the first turn through the order, but they saw everything they needed to see and crushed him in the 3rd.  With 1 out, Brett Gardner singled, Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira hit back-to-back HR on 4 pitches to make it 4-0 Yanks, and the route was on.

- It didn't stop until it got to 6 either.  After Teix, it was single Hafner, double Youkilis, single Wells, single Ichiro, and time to hit the showers for Harang.  Staked to a 6-0 lead, Phil didn't have to be very good.

- And yet he was anyway.  Great start for Hughes, who gave up just 1 unearned run in 7+ innings.  He was aggressive with his fastball, efficient with his pitch count, and more than good enough to get a win.

- Interestingly enough, reliever Blake Beavan actually shut down the offense after relieving Harang in the 3rd.  They managed just a single hit off of him in the final 6.2 innings.

- With a 5-run lead, D-Rob and Mo got to rest again as the new middle relief trio handled the final 2 frames without issue.


F*ck Yeahs:

- Hughes: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 7 K.  What more can you say about Hughes?  When he's good he's good.  If he was less bad when he's bad, he'd be a pretty darn useful pitcher.  Doesn't matter.  He's still getting a big deal from somebody out west after the season.

- The Big Inning: Top 3rd: 8 H, 6 R.  All other innings: 1 H, 0 R.  Good to see the Yankees make it count on another night where the offense as a whole wasn't consistent.

Oh Nos:

- Austin Romine: 0-4, 1 K, 3 LOB.  The only Yankee to not get a hit last night and he went 0-2 in the big 3rd inning, the only guy on the team to not be involved.  Ouch.

Next Up:

Already up 1 in the series and another favorable pitching matchup set for tonight when Hiroki Kuroda and Jeremy Bonderman square off.  No, I don't know why Bonderman is pitching in the Majors again.