The Yankees won a roller coaster last night to take back first place, but like I said, last night—it doesn’t mean much if they can’t win tonight to stay atop the AL East. Going for them is Phil Hughes, who is making his first start since being skipped in the rotation to limit his innings.

Here are some notes—

  • Hughes has made three starts this year with six or more days of rest. He’s 1-2 with an 8.04 ERA in those games.
  • Mark Teixeira has been playing with a broken toe for the last two weeks. Since then he’s played in 13 games and hit just .208 with a .600 OPS.
  • Andy Pettitte made his final rehab start last night. His line was five innings, six hits, two earned, with a walk, four K’s, and one HR allowed. He threw 67 pitches during the game and 10 more in the bullpen afterward. He’ll rejoin the Yankees rotation this Sunday.
  • Nick Swisher had an MRI yesterday that revealed no structural damage in his knee, just inflammation. He got a cortisone shot to deal with the pain and probably won’t play until Friday at the earliest.
  • Brett Gardner got a cortisone shot in his wrist earlier in the week and it is possible that he could be back in the lineup tonight.
  • Kevin Towers has interviewed for and could possibly get the Diamondbacks’ GM job because he is not under contract for next season. Scouting director Damon Oppenheimer was not allowed to interview because he is under contract for one more year.
  • The Yankees released their 2011 schedule.

That’s all for now. The Yankees game starts at 7:10 tonight, it’s Hughes against “Big Game” James Shields. It should be a good one. Be sure to stop back in throughout the day for more updates.

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