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A-Rod hopes to end power drought as Hughes returns vs. Royals

Aug 4, 2007 - 12:59 PM Kansas City (48-60) at NY Yankees (59-50) 1:05 pm EDT

BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- The New York Yankees are waiting for their third baseman to make history and hoping their phenom starter makes a strong return when they host the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.

Alex Rodriguez failed to become the youngest player in history to hit his 500th homer for the eighth straight game on Friday. The All-Star third baseman went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI but no homers on Friday, making him 3-for-29 since blasting No. 499 on July 25.

The Yankees will hand the ball to top prospect Phil Hughes (1-1, 3.38 ERA), who is making his return to the majors after spending the last three months on the disabled list with hamstring and ankle injuries.

Hughes was in the midst of pitching a no-hitter in his second major league start on May 1 at Texas, leaving the game with a hamstring injury after 6 1/3 hitless frames. The 21-year-old righthander is the top-rated prospect in a New York farm system that boasts a number of highly-regarded pitching prospects.

The Royals will counter with their newest acquisition, Kyle Davies (4-8, 5.76). The 23-year-old righthander came over from the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline in a deal for reliever Octavio Dotel.

The Yankees won, 7-1, on Friday night, pulling them within 2 1/2 games of Detroit (61-47) in the American League wild card race.