Ivan Nova Shines for Rotation Spot as Yankees Pound Orioles

A day-night doubleheader prompted the Yankees to call up promising starter Ivan Nova for the second leg of the split.  This wasn't just a fill-in start to save the rotation, but a chance for Nova to prove to the Yankees that he can be the solution they need at the trade deadline.  

That story was quickly put to the back burner as New York jumped on Orioles' pitching in record fashion.  The starting game time was 7:07 p.m., but when Nova took the mound for his second inning, it was past 8 p.m., as his offense scored 12 runs in the first frame, their highest total ever to start a game.  Fifteen batters came to the plate to pound out the 12 runs in a seemingly endless inning, with hard-hit balls aplenty, including a towering blast by Nick Swisher.

The shining star offensively was Robinson Cano, who was pulled from the game in the sixth after starting off 5-for-5 with five RBI.  

But the brightest star was Nova, who showed multiple reasons why he should stay in the major leagues for good.  Last week, the Yankees pounded the Oakland Athletics for 17 runs in front of another shaky start for Phil Hughes, who couldn't make it out of the fifth inning.  It was troubling because Hughes is trying to prove he is over the injury that sent him into disabled-list oblivion, something Yankees pitchers in the past have unfortunately visited before.  

Nova had other plans.  After a long first inning, the young hard-thrower settled down and pitched seven strong innings, only allowing two runs off of basically one man, the ultra-aggressive Vladimir Guerrero.  His stuff and demeanor were both more positive than Hughes', as he reached 96 MPH on his fastball with sharp, cutting movement.  Though the game was a certain victory, he was focused with the intention of making good pitches and getting deep into the game, two things Hughes has struggled to do all season.

The Yankees eventually won the blowout 17-3, moving Nova's season record to 9-4.    

Another positive sign was the return of reliever Rafael Soriano, a pitcher who was both scrutinized and injured earlier in the season.  The right-hander cleaned up the ninth inning with a flawless outing, showing good break on his curve ball and life on the fastball, hitting his spots well.  If Soriano can be similar to his American-League-saves-leader self of last year, he will turn the Yankees bullpen into a lock-down bunch with Robertson and Rivera already pitching extremely well.