Nova is 8-4 on the season, which ties him for the 2nd most wins behind CC. His ERA is 4.12 and his WHIP is 1.4, but over the last two months, Nova has made some big improvements. For starters, he no longer has any issues pitching further into games. If you remember last season, he had problems from the 4th inning on, as batters were getting more hits the 2nd and 3rd time through the order. This year Nova changed all that and over the last month he got stronger as the game went on. In fact, when Nova pitched against the Reds two weeks ago he got better as the game went on and retired 24 of the last 26 batters he saw. He also pitched 8 solid innings that night and easily could have completed that game had Girardi not pulled him. Nova also has been consistent with his control over his sinker/fastball. As long as that pitch stays down, Nova cruises through a lineup and doesn't need to throw many pitches. He also has been incorporating more pitches into his repoirtoire during games and isn't afraid to use his secondary pitches as his 'out' pitch. In the game against the Reds, Nova was using his changeup and slider to keep Cincinatti guessing. Ultimately that was his best outing of the season, against an offensive powerhouse!
Hughes will make the start in Cleveland against the Indians. This will be Hughes' first start since the Dead Arm issue. His last start was on April 14, and his numbers for the season are ugly: 0-3, 13.93 ERA. Fortunately, it seems like Hughes was able to work through his problems with the Yanks by rehabbing and getting the inflamation down in his shoulder. Over his past few starts in the minors, Hughes' velocity is back up averaging around 93 mph and has gotten as high as 95 mph. His last start was very impressive, pitching 6 strong innings and striking out 8 in the process. The Yankees liked what they saw and decided to pull the trigger by giving the former 18 game winner a chance to pitch this week. I can only wonder whether Hughes' mechanics changed at all. When he is pitching, it seems like he generates more power strictly from his arm rather than his lower half. I believe this puts much added pressure on his throwing arm which could have added to his dead arm issue.
Unforutnatey for Nova he was the odd man out. I don't think the decision comes down to anything other than seniority and Nova got sent to Scranton. Originally the move bothered me, but the other options weren't better. Pendleton was called up for Nova, so the Yanks have an extra long man in their bullpen should Hughes or any of the starters run into problems. The Yankees could have possibly used a 6 man rotation which they considered, but ultimately decided that it was a bit 'outside the box' and sent Nova down. I really think the 6 man rotation was their best option but the logistics of keeping everyone in their groove may be too difficult to play with while all the starters are hot. I wouldn't be surprised to see the yanks use a 6 man rotation later this season though. The Yankees had another option to send Nova to the bullpen, but I don't think that would have been a good idea. No reason to ruin the development of Nova as a starting pitcher by sending him to the pen while he is pitching well.
I'm sure Nova will be called up at some point again this season, but I'm not sure when at this point. The Yankees will need to give Garcia and Colon some extra days rest come August/September, but I have a funny feeling we may see Nova before that. Nova may not be the 'SuperNova' just yet, but he has been doing a great job and the results are obvious. Who would have though the Yankees would have such a strong rotation at the All-Star break that they would have to send an 8 game winner down to Triple-A? All we can ask for at this point is for Nova to handle this like a professional and be ready when the Yankees need him again. But I will say this: If I were another team contending for the postseason, I would be making a call to Cashman to find out what the Yankees would need to deal Nova. Nova's got the stuff, he's young and not getting paid big money - thats a Trifecta!
You Can Read More About Nova's Improvement RIGHT HERE
You Can Read More About Phil Hughes' Rehabbing RIGHT HERE
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