By Ian Browne / MLB.com | 10/14/12 11:11 PM ET
NEW YORK -- To give his team legitimate hope in the American League Championship Series, all Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes has to do in Tuesday night's Game 3 is outpitch the great Justin Verlander.
Already, the Yankees are down 0-2 to the Tigers.
Not just that, but they are without Derek Jeter, who is out for the remainder of the postseason with a fractured left ankle.
Oh, and this. New York's offense has been nearly non-existent through the first two games of this series, meaning Hughes has even less margin for error.
No pressure, right?
In truth, sometimes being the decided underdog -- as Hughes certainly is in this matchup -- can be liberating.
"This is what it's all about," said Hughes. "You don't want to lose both games at home, but we still have a chance. We still have a chance to do this. We just have to take one game at a time."
There was a time when Hughes was viewed as a phenom. For a while, everyone waited for him to live up to the hype.
Maybe the 26-year-old hasn't turned into the star some might have projected, but he is a pitcher the Yankees are depending on in this spot.
And if he comes through, perhaps he can earn a special place in the team's illustrious postseason history.
"You can't put too much pressure on yourself," said Hughes. "We have to go out and pitch well -- that's it. Whatever the circumstances are, whether it's Jeet being down or us not scoring the runs we're used to scoring, you can't think about those things. You just have to go out and pitch."
That's the one thing the Yankees have done in this series, particularly the starters. Andy Pettitte was strong in Game 1. Hiroki Kuroda dazzled on three days' rest in Game 2.
"You kind of feed off that and our starters are doing a good job," said Hughes. "You want to be the next guy to come up big for us. Obviously it's a big game and we need it and we'll go out and do the best job we can."
And perhaps the Yankees will be able to make Verlander sweat at least a little. The Oakland Athletics couldn't muster anything, and that's why they are now home for the winter. In the AL Division Series, Verlander was 2-0 with an 0.56 ERA.
"He's a great pitcher," Hughes said. "Obviously he had a great season. He's their No. 1 guy. We're going to have to be ready to go and I'm going to have to be ready to do the job, and our bats are going to have to do a good job and we'll just play the best game we can."
Hughes does have some recent momentum on his side. He pitched well in Game 4 of the ALDS against Baltimore, giving up four hits and a run while striking out eight over 6 2/3 innings.
"We always have faith in Phil," said right fielder Nick Swisher. "He did a great job for us down the stretch and we have the utmost confidence in him."
By faring well against the Tigers, Hughes can help erase the bitter memories he had from the last time he pitched in the ALCS. In 2010, Hughes went 0-2 with an 11.42 ERA against the Rangers, taking the loss on the night the Yankees were eliminated.
To be at his best, Hughes will have to keep the Tigers in the ballpark. The righty gave up 35 homers this season, second in the AL.
If Hughes can pitch his team to victory, the Yankees will then have to win just one of the next two to get the series back to the Bronx for Game 6. A loss would pin his team in a 3-0 hole, something only the 2004 Red Sox have lived to tell about.
"I'll just do what I can," Hughes said. "One pitch at a time and not worry about Games 4 or 5. Just focus on what I can do, and that's pretty much it. We're not in the position we want to be, but we'll have to go there and try to give ourselves a chance."
Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brownie Points, and follow him on Twitter @IanMBrowne. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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