Struggling Bats Look To Pick It Up With Hughes On The Mound

ARLINGTON -- Right now, the Yankees offense is running on flat tires. After a 3-0 loss last night, in which the Yanks managed only three hits, all singles, the Yanks desperately need to get something going if they plan on turning this ship around.

When asked after the game, Derek Jeter gave his opinions on the concerns he has with the current state of the Yankees.

"It's tough," Jeter said. "We put way too much pressure on our pitching staff. It's hard to pitch like that when we aren't scoring runs for them. You feel as though you've got to be perfect. I'm not a pitcher, but I can only assume.

"I've been in situations where you feel like you've got to score 10 runs. It puts a lot of pressure on your offense. Right now, there's too much pressure on our pitching staff. We've got to find a way to score runs. That's the bottom line. There's no way to sugarcoat it. We just haven't been very good lately."

Tonight's Lineup, 8:05 EST @ Arlington Ballpark:

Gardner 8
Suzuki 9
Cano 4
Overbay 3
Wells DH
Nunez 6
Lillibridge 5
Mesa 7
Romine 2
Hughes 1

Pitching Preview:

Ivan Nova gave the Yankees seven innings of three-run ball Monday night, but came away with the loss after his offensive support gave him only two hits. Now it's up to Phil Hughes to continue the good pitching, trying to give the Yanks the best chance to win.

Hughes has been the topic of many trade discussions this season as he's been having a very up and down year, but he has been pitching much better lately. Over his last four starts, he's dropped his ERA from 5.09 to 4.57.

"For him, similar to CC [Sabathia], it's location of his fastball," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "At times he threw the ball very well, and at times he struggled."

He'll be making his first since the all-star break, coming off an outing against the Minnesota Twins on July 13th when he allowed four runs on five hits, while striking out a season-high 10 batters.

Hughes started his streak of good outings when he faced the Rangers on June 27th at Yankee Stadium, holding Texas to just two runs on five hits over eight innings of work.

Alexi Ogando will try to follow up Yu Darvish's solid performance, taking the mound for the first time since June 5th, after he was placed on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation.

"He's good to go -- he hasn't had any issues with his shoulder," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He's done everything he needs to do to get ready. We expect him to keep us in the ballgame."

Ogando posted an 0-1 record and a 6.23 ERA over three rehab starts, but fared well in his last outing, allowing just two runs on three hits over seven innings on Thursday.

Ogando was 4-2 with a 2.93 ERA before going on the DL, and the Rangers manager said that he'll have no restrictions on his right-hander.

"He's ready to throw over 100 pitches," Washington said. "The bats of the New York Yankees will tell us how far he can go. If my ears start to hurt, I'll go get him. If I don't hear the loud sounds of their bats, we'll keep him out there."

Yankee Notes:

* As reported all throughout the morning, the Yankees have been in talks with the Chicago Cubs to acquire former-Yankee Alfonso Soriano. But many close to the Cubs, including GM Jed Hoyer, there is no deal in the works and Hoyer said that these reports are "premature".

* After Ryan Braun was handed down a season-ending suspension on Monday, many believe that Alex Rodriguez could be the next big name taken down by Major League Baseball.

Braun cut a deal with MLB to serve his suspension through the rest of the season and Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com has reported that A-Rod might also be trying to cut a deal.

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