New York Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes concentrates on earning playoff rotation spot come October

SEATTLE – For several weeks, Phil Hughes has taken the mound every six days with his spot in the starting rotation seemingly hanging in the balance.

Now that Joe Girardi has decided to stick with the six-man rotation through the last two-plus weeks of the regular season, Hughes has a new carrot to chase in his final outings: the playoff rotation.

“At this point, I guess the whole six-man thing doesn’t really hold as much weight,” Hughes said. “I’m just trying to finish off the year strong and see what happens when October rolls around.”

Girardi isn’t interested in discussing any playoff scenarios before the Yankees clinch a spot, but with a four-game lead on the Red Sox in the American League East and an eight-game lead on the Rays after Tuesday night’s 3-2 win over the Mariners, the Bombers are in prime position for a third straight postseason appearance.

“If and when we clinch the division,” Girardi said, “that’s when I’ll feel good.”

Hughes tossed six innings of one-run ball Monday night to beat the Mariners, his second quality start in a row. After giving up six runs in starts against the A’s and Red Sox on Aug.25 and 31, the 25-year-old has bounced back nicely, giving the Yankees something to think about in their postseason rotation competition.

“I can’t change what’s already happened, but from this point on I can try to pitch well enough to have a job when the playoffs come around,” Hughes said. “I’d love be out there and help this team as much as I can, because you know we always have a good chance of winning, so that’s really the only goal I have right now.”

Coincidentally, Hughes believes the best stuff he’s had recently – if not all season – was in Boston on Aug. 31, a game during which he surrendered six runs on eight hits and two walks in 5-2/3 innings.

“Sometimes it comes down to making pitches with guys on base, that sort of thing,” Hughes said. “One pitch here, one pitch there. It can completely turn an outing.”

In Boston, that pitch was a two-run home run by David Ortiz, a shot that turned a 2-1 Red Soxlead into a three-run advantage for Boston. The Yankees came back and regained the lead with four runs in the sixth, but Hughes was unable to hold it, issuing a walk to Josh Reddick before giving up a double by Jason Varitek that tied the game.

Hughes was in a similar spot on Monday, as the Yankees scored five times against Felix Hernandez in the fourth inning to give him a 6-1 lead. The Mariners loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, threatening to ruin Hughes’ night.

But Hughes got Miguel Olivo to pop up to Derek Jeter for the second out, then escaped the jam when Trayvon Robinson lined out to Curtis Granderson in center field.

“If that ball finds a gap there in the sixth inning, you’re looking at a completely different game,” Hughes said. “Sometimes there’s little things that shift and can turn your line around. Other than that, I just feel like I’ve kind of battled with guys on base and tried to figure out a way to get through it.”

CC Sabathia figures to be the only starter locked into a postseason rotation spot, meaning that Hughes will be fighting for his playoff life in each of his final three starts.

“I’d like to go a little deeper in the game; pitch count has kind of gotten up on me the last couple of times,” Hughes said in assessing his start Monday night. “I’d like to be ahead a little more and maybe get some quicker outs so I can go deep in the game. Other than that, you can’t argue”

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