MLB

Nova shows why rotation spot is his in Yankees’ win

Ivan Nova has locked up a spot in the Yankees’ rotation and could end up making a late bid for American League rookie of the year.

The 24-year-old right-hander earned a win in his sixth straight decision last night, with Joe Girardi announcing before the game that Nova had secured a rotation spot. Nova beat out both A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes whom, Girardi indicated, are battling for the final rotation spot.

In the Yankees’ 9-3 romp over the Angels, Nova fired six-plus innings, allowing three runs on just five hits to improve his record to 7-1 with a 3.09 ERA in his last nine starts. In his three starts since being recalled from the minors last month, Nova’s 3-0 with a 2.61 ERA.

“He’s proven he can pitch at this level,” Robinson Cano said.

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Nova, who helped extend the Yankees’ wild-card lead over the Angels to seven games, now leads all major league rookies with 11 wins and has a solid 3.85 ERA. Tampa’s Jeremy Hellickson, Seattle’s Michael Pineda and the Angels’ Mark Trumbo and Jordan Walden are also in the AL Rookie of the Year mix.

Meanwhile, the Yankees pounded Angels righty Garret Richards, who was making his major-league debut. The Yankees had lost each of their previous six games to starters making their debuts, but they crushed Richards with six runs in five innings. Curtis Granderson slammed two homers off the rookie — giving Granderson a career-high 31 — while Cano homered, tripled and doubled, although not all off Richards.

Nova is one of six Yankee starters bidding for five rotation spots. But, before the game, Girardi said Nova “has been one of our five best guys,” declaring his spot safe regardless of last night’s outcome.

“You’ve got to keep fighting because you never know what’s going to happen,” Nova said.

Girardi said the Yankees “have to eventually get down to five” starters, indicating Burnett (who makes $82.5 million) and Hughes (who won 18 games last season) are the two on the bubble. Girardi praised Bartolo Colon’s and Freddy Garcia’s bodies of work but was less effusive about Hughes, who is scheduled to start Saturday.

The loser of the Burnett/Hughes battle would presumably head to the bullpen, though the Yankees could instead send Hughes to the minors since he has options remaining. Or the Yankees could use their six-man rotation a little longer or devise a halfway answer, such as skipping Burnett or Hughes for a turn before reassessing the situation.

“I’ve just got to look at what’s best,” Girardi said.

Burnett is 0-3 with a 6.00 ERA in his last seven starts and 8-9 with a 4.60 ERA for the year. Asked to justify Burnett’s rotation spot, Girardi pointed to the fact that he ranks third on the Yankees in wins. Actually, he’s tied for fourth with Colon, despite Burnett starting four more games. And Burnett’s ERA is the worst of the starters, other than Hughes’ 7.11 mark. In his last two starts, though, Hughes has surrendered just two runs in 12 innings.

“Our job is to win,” Girardi said. “To set everything else aside, our job is to win.”

One thing in Burnett’s favor is Girardi’s belief that the decision should come down to the “12-man staff that you put together and how it all works best. That’s what we have to decide.”

Hughes is younger, cheaper and has impressive relief experience. Burnett has pitched in 305 career games, 301 as a starter. While Girardi believes Burnett “has the skill-set to do anything,” he pointed to issues such as whether a converted starter can warm up fast enough in the bullpen, etc. That’s not a problem with Hughes.

“They’re human beings with feelings and emotions and it’s our job to manage that too,” Girardi added.

That could further point to Burnett staying in the rotation. Hughes has been shifted often in his Yankee tenure and been seemingly unaffected while Burnett could react badly to such move.