All Things Bubba

Well, today was a good news, bad news sort of day. The Bats won a close game. But the news on Bubba was rather disappointing. During the "medical report" they gave during the 2nd inning, they said Bubba was "not making much progress," and that his injured shoulder was not responding as expected to treatment. That's a considerably less upbeat report than they gave yesterday. Poor Bubba.

Both the Reds and the Yanks blew out their opponents tonight. A-Gon, the NL Player of the Week, continues his hot hitting; he homered, as did Dunn and Griffey.

And Yankees fans were feeling positively giddy. Everyone was hitting, even the much-maligned Minky. Even better, Phil Hughes, in his second big league start, was just mowing them down. True, it was the Rangers, who aren't great hitters, but still. He looked looked like the future of the franchise, as well as the salvation of the season. He had a no-hitter going into 7th. Then disaster struck. On a pitch to Mark Teixeira, he pulled his left hamstring. Early reports say it's a pretty severe strain; he's expected to be out 6-8 weeks, and given the usual way hamstrings turn out, I expect it to be double that.

Prophetically, this article appeared today, questioning Hughes' mechanics and durability.

He'll be back, perhaps after the All-Star Break. And he's still the future of the franchise. But he's not the salvation of the season. They're going to have to find another starting pitcher.

Peter Abraham thinks Hughes may have been brought up too soon:

Hughes told us that he reached back on that 0-2 pitch to really bury a curveball to Mark Teixeira. He extended his left leg too much and that’s how he was injured.

Could this have happened in Scranton? Obviously it could have. But Hughes would not have been reaching back to try and make a great pitch to a hitter like Teixeira in Scranton.

There’s a reason prospects pitch in the minors. It’s to develop their bodies along with their skills. Hughes was pitching in high school at this point in 2004. Tonight he was in the majors trying to finish off Mark Teixeira. His arm was ready. His left hamstring wasn’t.

...Brian Cashman’s face was ashen after the game as we talked to him. Had this been the kid’s elbow or shoulder and not his hamstring, he would have had a lot of explaining to do.

This unfortunate injury may end up having some bearing on Homer Bailey's immediate future.

I'll end with a piece of good news. Bobby Murcer, diagnosed with a brain tumor last December, returned to the broadcast booth today. I've always liked him; he's always been a big supporter of Bubba. He looks good. He's lost his hair, but otherwise seems to be his old self. Welcome back, Bobby!