TAMPA — Michael Pineda won’t have to wait much longer to learn his fate in the competition for the fifth starter in the Yankees’ rotation.
“I’m not nervous, but I want to stay on the team,” Pineda said after another solid outing in a 3-1 loss to Toronto at George M. Steinbrenner Field. “But I don’t have control of the situation.”
Pineda has impressed scouts this spring and did so again Sunday.
“I don’t see how they go with anyone else,” said one AL scout who watched Pineda Sunday, when he gave up three runs — two earned — and struck out two while not walking anyone in his six-inning, 80-pitch outing. “They’re not looking at him to be an ace. If you’re looking for a fifth starter, he’s a pretty good one.”
While David Phelps has pitched well and Adam Warren and Vidal Nuno are at least nominally in the conversation, none can hit 94 mph, as Pineda did on several occasions against the Blue Jays.
And that goes along with the slider he has been effective with this spring.
“I thought he had great life on his ball today,” said manager Joe Girardi, who reiterated he intention to wait until Tuesday to announce a decision.
“He’s been good,” Girardi said. “His changeup has been good. His slider has been really good and his fastball’s been good. I think his command is getting better, too, every time he goes out.’’
Pineda finally allowed his first run of the spring after Edwin Encarnacion reached on an Eduardo Nunez error at third to start the second and later came around to score.
He struggled in the fifth, letting two more runs in, but overall the outing was good. And he even showed some mobility covering first on a 3-6-1 double play to end the second.
Despite all that, Girardi wasn’t ready to make any promises.
“It’s who we think is going to help us the most and makes us the best team,” Girardi said of the decision, although he conceded “upside” would be a factor. “You have to judge that, too. There are a lot of things you have to look into.”
And just because Pineda is on the staff Opening Day doesn’t mean someone such as Phelps or Nuno won’t be able to work their way into the rotation at some point during the season.
“You make adjustments as time goes on,” Girardi said. “One decision that you make April 1 is not necessarily a decision that you make on June 1.”
Given that Pineda missed all of 2012 and most of 2013 following shoulder surgery, it’s unknown how well his arm will hold up over the course of the season.
“He’s shown us he’s healthy,” said Girardi. “I always think with a guy like that, you’re a little cautious, but I feel really good about where he is physically.”
Pineda threw 171 innings in his rookie season of 2011 with the Mariners and had a rough second half. Ichiro Suzuki was a teammate of Pineda’s that season.
“When he first came up, he was throwing 98 [mph] consistently til the All-Star break,” Ichiro said through a translator. “When he first came up, he made a huge impact. In the outfield, we could just stand there and just watch the game. The other team had no chance. That’s how good he was.”
Pineda still hasn’t approached that velocity, but he has been hitting 94 on guns throughout the spring.
“I think everyone wants him to get back to where he was as a pitcher, but this is spring training,” Ichiro said. “We’ll see how he does when he gets to the regular season.”