Ummm....

Yankees respond to the Red Sox Victor Martinez deal...

by getting Jerry Hairston, Jr. from the Reds, according to Joel Sherman.

Not exactly a blockbuster. He has a career OPS of .700. Hmmm...

HUGHes Save #1

Phil Hughes just got his first major league save to close out Sabathia's 10th win. The Yankees got this game in before 1 AM, somehow. Big blast by Teixeira, a nice job getting to New Jersey-native Vin Mazzaro after a slow start, and a pretty solid outing from CC.

But the talk will be for Phil Hughes who pitched two perfect innings to run his scoreless inning streak to 19.2 innings. He is now tied for second on the Yankees with Phil Coke and Alfredo Aceves in saves. Good to know that Girardi has options he feels comfortable going to when Rivera can't go.

It seems like a long time ago that Joel Sherman wrote this about Hughes in the off-season:

"It is not just that two of his four starts in the Arizona Fall League have been poor, including Friday night's Rising Stars showcase game. But scouts who have watched him in the AFL say Hughes' delivery, command and array of stuff have not been impressive."

Well he's impressing now. I still think he's a starter in the long run. But he's been everything and more as a reliever. And now save #1. 7 in a row. 21 games over .500 and 2.5 up on the BoSox. Keep it up!

Hal Steinbrenner, Phil Hughes, Jack-O and Other Yankees Links

• Peter Abraham on Hal Steinbrenner: "The Yankees once had the most outspoken owner in sports. Now they have one of the quietest. Widely respected within the organization, Steinbrenner emerged as his family’s leader and the caretaker of an empire."
• Joel Sherman on Hal Steinbrenner: "Obviously, winning is the strongest inducement for fans. But part of that four million going through the turnstiles annually was about George Steinbrenner's penchant for making his organization must watch."
• Rob Neyer and Marc Craig both agree that Phil Hughes has been brilliant as a reliever but should ultimately be a starter. And Neyer says something I've been harping: "With all due respect to all the fine and wondrous relievers out there in Baseball Land, isn't Hughes yet another nail in their coffin, value-wise? Good relief pitchers are merely failed starters"
• According to Buster Olney the Yankees have the fourth hardest road to the playoffs in the American League. The good part? The Red Sox have a harder schedule. The bad part? The Rays have an easier schedule. The hardest part: "The Yankees actually have two West Coast trips remaining, including one more visit to their own private hell in Anaheim."
• Chop-n-Change has an interview with Jack-O of Bill Simmon's B.S. Report fame. Heeeerrrrre's Johnny! "The attention I've received from appearing on the BS Report has been kind of surreal, but very, very fun. As Bill and I have commented to each other, the conversations that we have are ones that we would have anyway (although there would probably be more swearing and political incorrectness) so it's funny that people seem to enjoy listening in."
• Erik Boland of Newsday says that despite injuries and inconsistencies, the Yankees are actually in good shape. "For a team that has suffered significant injuries to the lineup (Alex Rodriguez), the rotation (Chien-Ming Wang) and the bullpen (Brian Bruney) and a horrendous early-season slump of one of its three prize free agents (Mark Teixeira), the Yankees enter the second half with the second-best record (51-37) in the American League and lead the wild-card race. Really, that's the bottom line."
• Jon Heyman doesn't think that the Yankees are going to get Roy Halladay because the Blue Jays won't trade within the division. Even if they did, Heyman doesn't think the Yankees want to clear out their farm system of the best prospects: " and/or The Yankees are reluctant to "gut their system,'' according to one rival executive. The Yankees could easily form a nice trade package by including one of two young talented right-handers -- Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes -- plus catching prospect Jesus Montero and outfield prospect Austin Jackson."