There is literally nothing to be learned from his start on Thursday. Sorry, there just isn’t, other than a Yankees starting rotation desperate for arms to go deep in the game are likely not to find an answer from The Boy King. Monday told a different story all together, even though the Rangers are what can only be accurately described as a ‘crappy major league team’.

The start against the Blue Jays was a cautionary tale of having a young base baller on the mound for you. It really was a generic appearance…he had good command of his fastball, but poor control. Spotty command of his breaking pitches, and no real off speed pitch that could fool major league hitters. One at bat, you saw a flash of absolute greatness, the next at bat was a battle of Major Leaguer versus Not-Yet-Ready.

Take a look at the debut games of guys like Felix Hernandez, or Andrew Miller…recent young right handers who were pushed into service.

But something happened between Thursday and Monday…Philip Hughes put it all together (as youngsters do sometimes…especially pre-drinking age) against the Rangers. They absolutely couldn’t touch him.

Handed a six run lead before the game even entered the second third, Hughes strung together those ‘flashes’ I mentioned earlier, and was using his curve and fastball to eliminate any chance the Rangers had to get back in the game. By the time he was pulled in the 7th, he had thrown 83 pitches, 53 for strikes. He struck out Kenny Lofton, Mark Teixeira, Victor Diaz, Brad Wilkerson twice, and Gerald Laird. Only three outs were recorded in the air. This game was pitched by developing pitcher with a unobtainable ceiling…not a guy with a lot of hype and 4 MLB innings under his belt.

That is the story that should have been written. Instead, I get to bore you with some reality, because I’m sure as you know, Phil Hughes left the game with a hamstring injury.

This is very, very dangerous for a very specific reason…the legs are the most important part of the body in baseball. In pitching, if you have to change your leg mechanics at all, it might shift the strain on your upper body. The most famous example is that Dizzy Dean broke his foot, and came back before he was completely healed. He had to change his landing spot on the mound, to alleviate the pain on his foot. In doing so, his mechanics were out of wack, his arm died, and so did his career.

This is where the Yankees have to be very careful. The official word is that he’s on the shelf for four-to-six weeks…but in order for his arm not to atrophy, he’ll likely start pitching when he can put weight on his hamstring. If the leg isn’t completely healed, this 20-year-old…already in the throes of a deadly part of his career, injury-wise…faces a dire injury situation. Stress that used to be on the shoulder and oblique muscle could be transfered to the elbow.

The Yankees can’t shut him down obviously, so they are in a precarious position. The margin for error is fairly tight with any young pitcher, and considering Hughes is the hurling future of the Yankees, being overly cautious might be the best track.