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Yankees throw top prospect Hughes at the Blue Jays

Apr 26, 2007 - 2:41 PM Toronto (10-10) at NY Yankees (8-11) 7:05 pm EDT

BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- The New York Yankees will send top prospect Phil Hughes to the mound Thursday when they host the Toronto Blue Jays in the lone game of a rain-shortened series.

The Yankees have dropped five straight games to fall into last place in the American League East, due in large part to the their pitching woes.

New York dropped three games in a row last weekend to rival Boston and was swept in a two-game series at Tampa Bay on Monday and Tuesday.

Pitching has been the chief source of concern for the Yankees. The staff has yielded 37 runs and 62 hits in the five losses.

Perhaps New York wanted to keep Hughes in the minors for a few more months, but its pitching problems caused a change in plans.

A righthander with a fastball that reaches 95, Hughes dominated at Class AA Trenton last season, going 10-3 with a 2.25 ERA in 21 starts. He was 2-1 with a 3.94 ERA in three starts this season at Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The Blue Jays, who just swept a two-game series from the Boston Red Sox, counter with A.J. Burnett. Toronto is still waiting for the talented righthander to live up to the five-year, $55 million contract he signed prior to the 2006 season.

Burnett (1-1, 5.57) yielded two runs and three hits in seven innings last Friday against Baltimore, but did not get a decision.

Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez matched Albert Pujols' record for most homers in April with his 13th and 14th of the season in Monday's loss at Tampa Bay. Rodriguez went hitless on Tuesday for the first time this season.