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In the Yankees' clubhouse before Wednesday's game, Phil Hughes looked like a lot of other pitchers in the last hours before their debuts. He sat with Jorge Posada for a few minutes and reviewed his plan against the Toronto lineup, with the catcher holding a lineup card. After Posada walked away, Hughes remained in his chair and stared ahead, while a couple of dozen reporters lingered nearby. Like other rookie pitchers who came before him, Hughes will soon learn where the best places are for privacy in the clubhouse -- the trainer's room, the video room, maybe the workout room, maybe the office of the equipment manager.

And once Hughes took the mound, he had a typical debut, learning that major league hitters don't always flail at breaking balls, no matter how good they are (and Hughes has a great curveball), and that the ball-strike count can be the pitcher's best friend or worst enemy; all but one of the seven hits that Hughes allowed came when he was behind in the count. Hughes also learned that opposing managers will use their baserunners to attack pitchers with big leg kicks -- and Hughes had a big leg kick, making him vulnerable to stolen bases.

But here is why Hughes' first outing, in which he had very good stuff but subpar results, was so crucial: The Yankees need him to be good. Right away.

Because so far, all the news has been bad for the Yankees' rotation. Carl Pavano is on the disabled list, and no one knows whether he's going to pitch again this year, or whether he'll be effective if he does pitch. Kei Igawa has looked so bad that he's been temporarily dropped from the rotation. Ace pitcher Chien-Ming Wang opened the year on the disabled list and has one start. Mike Mussina is due back from the disabled list next week, but there is no guarantee that he will have enough velocity to properly set up his off-speed stuff.

Think about what the Yankees' plan for Hughes was going into spring training: They intended to limit the prospect to four or five innings for the first two months, and then put him in position to perhaps be called up in late June or July. Instead, he is already in the big leagues, and if Hughes pitches better the next time out, the Yankees will lean on him, heavily, out of necessity. They have no margin for error and no other options; they must get help from their minor league system, and right now, Hughes must be that help.

The problem is, Hughes might be a lot like other rookies, at age 20. He might not be ready to be a help.

New Yankee starting pitcher, same old '07 problem for the Yankees, writes Tyler Kepner. It took Igawa a handful of starts to fall out of favor with manager Joe Torre. Igawa is being moved to the bullpen, as George King writes. Igawa should be the Yankees' biggest concern, writes Ken Davidoff.

From the Elias Sports Bureau: The Yankees were blanked by the Blue Jays 6-0, their sixth consecutive loss and the seventh straight game in which they've allowed at least six runs. It's the first time in 57 years that the Yankees allowed six or more runs in seven consecutive games. They last did that from June 29 to July 4, 1950, a period during which Whitey Ford made his major-league debut.

With the slumping Yankees about to play the Red Sox, heard this at Yankee Stadium Thursday: George Steinbrenner is on the verge of making his presence felt, in classic Steinbrenner-esque fashion, unless the team starts playing better. Does that mean a statement? A firing? A shift in direction? Don't know, yet.

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