Phil Hughes will make just his sixth Major League start on Monday against the Angels, but despite his brief experience in a Yankees uniform, manager Joe Torre has grown confident that the 21-year-old phenom has only started to reach his potential.

Part of the skipper's faith in Hughes grows from watching the right-hander throw breaking balls, even when behind in the count. That, coupled with Hughes' young age, has Torre believing more and more in his No. 5 starter, especially, Torre said, since Hughes tends to pitch better as the season continues.

"I just think he's going to get stronger the more he pitches," Torre said. "Even though we have a short history to look to, he always seems to get a little bit better in the second half, and the fact that he's missed two months or something [means] his second half is going to be a little bit later."

Countering for the Angels will be Dustin Moseley, who, in two appearances against the Yankees, both in relief, allowed four hits and two runs in three innings.

Pitching matchup
NYY: RHP Phil Hughes (2-1, 4.44 ERA)
Hughes only gave up two earned runs in his last start, but the Orioles knocked him out of the game after six hits and five innings of work. New York's big right-hander walked two and struck out four in settling for a no-decision. This will be Hughes' first career start against the Angels.

LAA: RHP Dustin Moseley (4-2, 4.84 ERA)
In his last start, Moseley showed his resilience and toughness in limiting the Blue Jays to two runs while yielding nine hits, a walk and a hit batsman. He repeatedly worked out of trouble by making big pitches when he needed them, keeping his team in the game. Relying on movement and location, he still isn't getting as deep into games as the club would like, however.

Player to watch
No Angels hitter has faced Hughes, but left-handers have hit the youngster the hardest in his five starts at the Major League level, batting .265 off him as opposed to the .216 clip that right-handers manage.

Tickets
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On the Internet
 MLB.TV
 Gameday Audio
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•  Official game notes

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On radio
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Up next
• Tuesday: Yankees (Mike Mussina, 8-8, 4.76) at Angels (Kelvim Escobar, 13-6, 2.68), 10:05 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Yankees (Andy Pettitte, 10-7, 3.80) at Angels (John Lackey, 15-7, 3.32), 10:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Off-day