It doesn't seem too long ago that one of the New York Yankees' strengths this season was projected to be their starting pitching. Now, it may be their biggest concern – especially the back end of the rotation. CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Ivan Nova have for the most part done their job – the Yankees are 8-4 in their starts. But beyond those three arms is where it gets interesting. Phil Hughes (7.87 ERA) is once again a
disaster but lucky for him Freddy Garcia's "effort" has deflected some of the criticism. Garcia (12.51 ERA) has now been
demoted to the bullpen and rookie reliever
David Phelps will start on Thursday in Kansas City. Andy Pettitte is getting decent reviews while working back into shape in the minors though his ETA has been
delayed due cold weather. The Yankees also
called up rookie DJ Mitchell and added him to the 25-man roster. And last week it was announced that offseason acquisition Michael Pineda will
miss the rest of the year with a shoulder injury. New York starters currently own the second worst ERA in the American League at 6.08. The saving grace has been the bullpen with a 2.06 ERA and .208 BAA.
