Phil Hughes hasn't gone five innings in either of his starts. Michael Pineda is recovering from shoulder problems. Freddy Garcia has thrown five wild pitches in four innings. Andy Pettitte is pitching well for the Tampa Yankees. These are all loosely related.
Pettitte pitched four innings in his latest outing for Class-A Tampa, allowing just two hits and striking out five. The lefty also induced a double play, so he finished his four innings having thrown to one batter over the minimum. He'll rejoin the Yankees soon, but not that soon:
It's only his second minor-league start and Girardi said, "Usually you give a guy six starts." It's unclear where Pettitte will pitch in his next outing, but he likely will increase his workload by about 15 pitches, Girardi said.
Pettitte will make at least one more start in Tampa, according to Brian Cashman. After that, he'll likely join the Trenton Thunder to complete his tuneup.