Phil Hughes News

Monday will be a homecoming of sorts for Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes as he makes a start in Angel Stadium of Anaheim, about 10 minutes from where he grew up in Tustin, Calif.

Mike Minor continued to put his rotation spot in jeopardy with another lackluster performance Saturday afternoon as the Atlanta Braves suffered their sixth consecutive defeat with an 8-4 loss to the Washington Nationals .

Remember last year, when he swore he was healthy, but couldn't hit 90 mph on the gun? He figured it had to be a case of mind over matter, that the ball felt good coming out of his hand so he needed to keep trusting his fastball, until he was finally diagnosed with a fatigued shoulder.

It certainly hasn't been a banner year for our pitchers so far, with injuries and ineffectiveness shaking up the starting rotation more than once.

Ivan Nova is already going through the worst stretch of his career and coming off an injured right foot he suffered last week in Baltimore.

This year, the Yankees will be celebrating Memorial Day on Pacific time. The Bombers are headed west to start a 10-day, nine-game road trip that will see them face the Athletics and Angels from Friday-Wednesday before heading to Detroit for three games next weekend.

When Phil Hughes struggled in the month of April, it looked like the YankeesA right-hander would be the odd man outA upon the return ofA Andy Pettitte .

The New York Yankees have caused quite a bit of stress and concern among the fans since the start of the 2012 season.

Orioles starter Brian Matusz made it to the big leagues as a highly touted prospect, ranked #5 in all of baseball by Baseball America back in 2010.

The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Boston Red Sox 4-1 as Brian Matusz struck out nine in the American League.

The Yankees won a game Tuesday night. Never mind the fine print. They'll take it.

Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees are still looking to bust out with that big hit.

Luke Hochevar of the Kansas City Royals pitches against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday in New York.

A gift arrived recently for Pirates starter A.J. Burnett. The package included a suit, a form of payback from Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes, who Burnett bought a few suits for back in 2009, when Burnett was in the first season of a five-year, $82.5 million contract.

The Kansas City Royals placed second baseman Chris Getz on the 15-day disabled list with a ribcage injury Tuesday and called up left-hander Will Smith from Triple-A Omaha.

Several teams this season have had their fair share of issues with their pitching, whether it be the starters or the relievers.

If the Yankees and Royals want to win more games this season, they'll have to limit the damage opponents are doing early in games.

The Blue Jays kick off what could very well be their toughest 12-game stretch until the summer tonight against the Rays, so I brought in Robbie Knopf, editor of FanSided's great Rays site Rays Colored Glasses , for a couple of questions before tonight's series opener at Tropicana Field.

They are the worst in the league at driving home runners in scoring position. Their pitching staff ranks 28th in quality starts, and their starters have surrendered the second-most home runs in all of baseball.

"Aging" Andy Pettitte wasn't too old to pitch a brilliant eight-inning shutout game Friday night against a formidable Cincinnati Reds team.