Our Phenom is Better Than Your Phenom

When I first saw the pitching match ups for the Yankees/Indians series I circled tonight's game on my calendar. Phil Hughes will match up against Fausto Carmona. Two of the best young pitchers in the league starting for two teams jockeying for position in the A.L. playoff race. Great way to kick off the series.

Hughes is coming off a bad start in his return to the rotation against Kansas City. Carmona has been making mincemeat out of some of the best lineups in the league.

If you've never heard of either of these guys, here's a quick cheat sheet:

Name:	Phil Hughes	Fausto Carmona
Nickname:	The Franchise	Fausto?
Age:	21	23
H/W:	6'5", 220 lbs.	6'4", 190 lbs.
Sign	Cancer	Sagittarius
Stats:	1-1, 5.87 ERA, 1.304 WHIP, 15.1 IP, 16 Ks	13-6, 3.17 ERA, 1.265 WHIP, 144.2 IP, 87 Ks
Best pitch:	12-6 Curve	Sinker
Fun fact:	Drafted 23rd overall in the 2004 draft with a pick awarded to Yankees as compensation for Andy Pettitte's signing with the Astros.	In 7 days as the Indians closer in 2006, Fausto recorded 4 losses and 3 blown saves. He was then demoted to AAA Buffalo.
Future	Ace	Ace
Predicted Line:	(W) 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 9 Ks	(L) 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 6 Ks

If you're near a television tonight, I suggest you tune in. Hughes shouldn't be as nervous tonight, and this is by far the best lineup he's faced in his life. On the other side, Fausto is an excellent pitcher with a devastating sinker (at 97 MPH!!!), kinda like the last pitcher they faced, Roy Halladay.

If we're lucky, tonight could look like this:

Hughes - Innings 1-7
Joba - 8th inning
Mo - 9th inning.