DETROIT – Righthander Phil Hughes has just pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning. He had retired four in a row and seven of the past eight hitters. He had outlasted former Cy Young winner Justin Verlander. The Twins were closing in on a victory.
Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson then walked up to manager Ron Gardenhire and said, "Hughes is done."
Hughes had thrown 86 pitches. A complete-game shutout was not out of the question.
Gardenhire walked to the other end of the dugout to make sure. Hughes had had his fill. Catcher Kurt Suzuzki backed him up.
So Gardenhire got the bullpen involved earlier than he expected. Casey Fien pitched the eighth and Glen Perkins gave up a run in the ninth, but the Twins held on for an impressive 2-1 victory over Verlander and the Tigers at Comerica Park. With a little help at the end, Hughes won his fourth consecutive start, his longest streak since he won four in a row from May 22-June 16, 2012.
In these cases, a reporter heads down to the clubhouse after the game wondering, "What was Gardy thinking?" It soon became, "What was Hughes thinking?"
"In the seventh inning, I thought my stuff and location were deteriorating," Hughes said. "In a situation like that, with the meat of the order coming up and guys having success off of me in the past, you don't want to give the game away because you are being prideful."
Gardenhire appreciated Hughes' honesty.