By Michael Ventura
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — The Yankees playoff hopes rest on the right arm of pitcher Phil Hughes as they play Game 6 of the American League Championship Series against the Texas Rangers on Friday.
Hughes got shelled in Game 2, when he coughed up 10 hits and 7 earned runs in four innings of a 7-2 loss last Saturday. The 24-year-old righty appeared upbeat in interviews Thursday despite the Yankees facing playoff elimination.
"I didn't want my season to end on that last start," Hughes told reporters, the Daily News reported. "Obviously, we have a lot of work to do. It's not like we are in the driver's seat here. We are still in this series and we have to win ... and that's the bottom line."
The loss was an aberration for Hughes, who'd pitched well in his career against the Rangers heading into Game 2. Hughes had hurled 15 1-3 scoreless innings in Arlington before getting pounded by Texas last week.
"I expect him to have much better command of all of his stuff," manager Joe Girardi told the Associated press.
The Yankees are attempting to overcome a 3-1 postseason deficit for the first time since rallying to beat the Milwaukee Braves in 1958 World Series. Should New York win Friday night, Rangers ace Cliff Lee is lurking to start a decisive Game 7 on Saturday. Lee is 7-0 in postseason starts.
But for now, the Bronx Bombers are focused on beating Texas starter Colby Lewis, who has a chance to vault the Rangers into their first World Series in team history. The 31-year-old righty limited New York to two runs over 5 2-3 innings in Game 2 after throwing five scoreless innings against Tampa Bay in the ALDS.
New York needs to get its struggling offense going against Lewis to avoid elimination. Most of the Yankees lineup, with the exception of second baseman Robinson Cano, has been slumping throughout the series.
Cano's batting .421 with four home runs and five RBI in the ALCS. The rest of the line up is hitting just .190. Third baseman Alex Rodriguez is hitting .176 and outfielder Nick Swisher has a paltry .105 average in the series.
Swisher came through for New York in Game 5 on Wednesday, hitting a key home run in the Yankees 7-2 win at Yankee Stadium. Rodriguez also showed signs of breaking out of his slump with a single and two walks in four plate appearances. A-Rod is confident Hughes will give the team a chance to win on Friday.
"I expect a good game," A-Rod told the AP. "I think Phil didn’t have the best performance in Game 2 and I think he’s looking forward to a great battle."
