Hughes excited for a postseason push
PHILADELPHIA >> Reliable as a relief pitcher for most of his nine major-league seasons, Jared Hughes was as stumped as anyone to explain his relative ineffectiveness this year with the Cincinnati Reds.
As for a solution, a move into a playoff race could help.
With that hope, and with his legendary infectious and positive approach, the 33-year-old right-hander found his way through waivers and into Phillies uniform No. 25 Saturday. To make roster room, the Phils placed Roman Quinn on the 10day injured list with a strained right groin.
“I love winning and I want to win it all,” Hughes said. “I want a ring and I think we have a really good shot at that. So I am very excited, yes.”
With only the occasional dip, Hughes had uncorked earned-run averages of 2.85, 1.96, 2.28, 3.03, 3.02 and 1.94 since 2012 with the Pirates, Brewers and Reds. But this season, he was 3-4 with a 4.10 ERA for the Reds.
The Phillies continuing to repopulate their bullpen after season-ending injuries to David Robertson and Tommy Hunter, lengthy absences of Seranthony Dominguez and Pat Neshek, and the recent unavailability of Adam Morgan among other issues, Hughes is ready to join recently added veterans Mike Morin and Blake Parker in a reimagined relief corps.
“We’re always talking about making adjustments,” Gabe Kapler said. “We learned from last year that it is important to bring in good teammates, bring in good character, bring guys in who want the ball, who want to pitch on a regular basis, that kind of thing.
“I don’t know how the rest of the year is going to go for our bullpen, but Morin, Parker and Hughes are veteran players who want the ball, are appreciated by their teammates and bring great energy. Hughes kind of lights up the room. That’s my take on it.”
Honored to be presented with Jim Thome’s old number, Hughes was ready for the challenge.
“I told them I’ll be down there in the first inning,” he said. “Whenever I’m needed, I’m ready to go. I’ll sprint in and chuck it.”
Kapler, for one, was not exactly sure why Hughes had sputtered this season in Cincinnati.
“I imagine C.Y. (pitching coach Chris Young) is thinking quite a bit about what happened in Cincinnati and what his potential could be with us,” he said. “We’ll collaborate on it.” ••• As expected, Robertson underwent Tommy John surgery. With a typical recovery period being anywhere from 14 to 16 months, the right-hander could miss all of next season.
“Obviously, he’s super disappointed and wants to be contributing to what we’re doing right now,” Kapler said. “I think he’s apologetic because really it’s hard to have an injury like this occur and feel like all you want to do is contribute and not be able to do it. So it’s a rough time for him.”
The Phillies committed $21 million over two seasons for Robertson, and can buy him out of the third year of his contract for another $2 million.
For that investment, Robertson appeared in seven games, going 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA before reporting elbow soreness. He was placed on the injured list April 15. ••• The tests on Jake Arrieta’s elbow were as expected. For that, the veteran right-hander will undergo season-ending surgery to remove a bone spur.
Zach Eflin replaced Arrieta in the rotation and started Saturday against San Diego.
“What we need is quality starts,” Kapler said. “If we’re in games, we have the kind of offense that can win those games. So we just want very competitive starts from our starters.”
Arrieta was 8-8 with a 4.65 ERA. He has said he expects to be ready for next season. ••• Ever challenged to remain healthy, Quinn landed on the injured list at an inconvenient time. In 19 games since July 21, he had been hitting .333 with two doubles, a triple, four home runs and four steals.
He homered in an 8-4 victory over the Padres Friday before injuring his groin on an eighth-inning sprint to first base.
Adam Haseley played center Saturday. Kapler is not likely to return Scott Kingery to the outfield.
“The chances of us moving Scott off of third base for any considerable length of time in center field is not high,” the manager said. “Haseley is a good option for us out there.”
Sean Rodriguez and Corey Dickerson can also play center.