Ivan Nova wasn’t pleased after his shaky outing yesterday, but more disturbing was that his catcher couldn’t offer a reason for it.
“I don’t know what’s going on,’’ Chris Stewart said of Nova giving up five runs (four earned) and seven hits (two homers) in 5 1/3 innings to the Twins Friday at Hammond Stadium, where the Yankees posted an eventual 9-7 victory. “He fell behind in counts and they were sitting on [the fastball] and got some good swings. I don’t know what it is but it’s not where it needs to be.’’
Nova, competing with David Phelps for the fifth rotation spot if Phil Hughes is healthy, was dejected.
“I’m not happy with the way I threw even though I got into the sixth inning,’’ Nova said. “I was behind in the count almost every time. When you get behind hitters you get in trouble. It was fastball command. I didn’t have it today.’’
* Though Hughes’ back is healthy again, he still is trying to regain the form he displayed last month. That’s one of the reasons he’s close to being certain he will open the season on the disabled list.
“Not completely,” Hughes said of whether he was resigned to starting the season on the shelf. “It’s probably likely, but I wouldn’t say for sure.”
Even if he does spend Opening Day on the DL, he may not miss a turn in the rotation, since he could be activated April 6.
“It’s going to be a close call in the end,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “He’s certainly going in the right direction. It’s just a time issue for him.”
Hughes pitched with Class-A Charleston’s team at the Yankees’ minor league complex in Tampa and wasn’t at his sharpest.
“I’m probably not where I need to be, but we still have some time to get my pitch count up and get there,” Hughes said.
In three innings against Class-A players for the Pirates, Hughes gave up six hits, three runs and a homer. He struck out three and didn’t walk anyone in 57 pitches.
“Hopefully, I’m right around the point where I’m ready to go,” said Hughes, who could pitch again Wednesday and increase his workload to 75 pitches. “I have to prove I’m still throwing well.”
Manager Joe Girardi would like to see Hughes get to 90 pitches before he sees The Bronx.
And Hughes admitted his arm isn’t quite back to where it was before the bulging disks.
“I feel good, but I don’t really know how the ball is coming out,” Hughes said, “but I got a couple swings and misses, which was encouraging.”
* Had Brennan Boesch told Girardi he was experiencing stiffness in his left rib cage earlier, the outfielder would have avoided a long bus ride.
“He wouldn’t have made a two-hour and 15-minute bus trip,’’ Girardi said. “Not very smart.’’
Boesch informed the Yankees before the game of a problem he doesn’t consider to be an injury.
“It’s a little soreness and the manager wanted to be extra cautious, it’s his call,’’ said Boesch, who won’t play until Tuesday, the day after the Yankees’ final off day of spring training.
Though Boesch and Girardi didn’t believe the stiffness is a problem, the left-handed hitting outfielder is the latest to take a ticket to enter a very crowded trainer’s room.
“We don’t think it’s much,’’ Girardi said.
Boesch was in the lineup hitting second and playing right field before being scratched.
It’s not the same injury that slowed Boesch at the start of spring training when he was with the Tigers; That was an oblique problem on the right side of the body.
* Chien-Ming Wang likely will sign a minor league deal with the Yankees in the next day or so. Yet according to Cashman, that hasn’t happened yet.
Wang, who won 38 games for the Yankees in 2006 and 2007, has been in Tampa for several days preparing for re-entry into the Yankees universe.
Clay Rapada threw his first bullpen session since suffering shoulder bursitis earlier in camp, and while the lefty reported progress, he will start the season on the DL.
“I need to be able get hot real quick and throw three times in four days, things like that,” said Rapada, who only threw fastballs in his 15-pitch session, one day after throwing off flat ground.
Cashman remains unsure if the team will carry a second southpaw along with Boone Logan until Rapada’s return, which should come sometime in April. One possibility is Vidal Nuno, who Cashman said has “opened everybody’s eyes” by giving up just one run in 13 1/3 innings this spring.
Travis Hafner had a double, a home run and two walks in five minor league at-bats as he tries to shake off his slow start this spring.
“It seems like he’s been in-between a little bit with his timing,” Girardi said. “He’s seen a lot of good pitches, which is a good thing.”
Unlike some other struggling Yankees in camp, the manager said Hafner’s spot on the roster is safe.
“I think so, because he’s been a pretty productive player over his career,” Girardi said. “Sometimes guys take a while to get going. We saw that last year with Raul [Ibanez]. Raul, the first four weeks of spring, didn’t hit much and then all of a sudden took off.”
And even though the regular season will start in The Bronx in little over a week, Girardi will continue to evaluate the roster.
“It could be as late as the Army game [on March 30] that you make your decision,” Girardi said. “What’s the rush?”
Hiroki Kuroda pitched seven scoreless innings against the Pirates’ Class A team, throwing 88 pitches in a tune-up for the regular season.
If the Yankees aren’t sold on Juan Rivera playing first and the outfield, they might take a look at Xavier Nady, a non-roster invite who isn’t going to be on the Royals’ Opening Day roster.
Like Rivera, Nady is a right-handed hitter with more experience in the outfield than at first where he has played 134 career games.
Nady, 34, was with the Yankees for the second half of the 2008 season and all of 2009 when he beat out Nick Swisher for the starting right field job in spring training but suffered a season-ending elbow injury early in the year.
In 11 games this spring for the Royals, Nady was hitting .333 (7-for-21) with five RBIs.
He has also played for the Padres, Mets, Pirates,Cubs, Diamondbacks, Nationals and Giants.
YANKEES TRAINING DAY
SOMETHING GOOD
Ronnier Mustelier’s chances of sticking grow longer every day, but until he is sent down, the stocky utilityman will impress with the bat. He went 3-for-4 with two RBIs yesterday and is hitting .313 (10-for-32).
SOMETHING BAD
In addition to Ivan Nova getting spanked for three runs in the second when the Twins homered back-to-back, the Yankees committed three more errors, and have 39 miscues in 27games.
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
Manager Joe Girardi said it’s possible Derek Jeter could DH today in a minor league game and test his left ankle. Andy Pettitte starts against the Tigers in Lakeland.
CAUGHT MY EYE
Far too many times last year, Nova hung his head after giving up runs. He did it again yesterday after Justin Morneau and Ryan Doumit crushed consecutive homers off him in the second inning.
dan.martin@nypost.com