The LoHud Yankees Blog

1. Jeter SS
2. Swisher RF
3. Teixeira 1B
4. Rodriguez 3B
5. Cano 2B
6. Posada DH
7. Martin C
8. Jones LF
9. Granderson CF
Sabathia P

For the most part, minor league rosters aren’t finalized until the last minute. The Yankees four full-season teams get started on Thursday, so we might not have official minor league rosters until then.

But the groups are starting to come together.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
According to Donnie Collins, the Triple-A rotation is set with David Phelps, Hector Noesi, Adam Warren, D.J. Mitchell and Andrew Brackman. In that order.  That’s pretty much as expected. I went into spring training thinking Warren might go back to Trenton — only because he didn’t have a lot of starts there last year — but it seemed pretty clear within a few days of camp that he was going to Scranton.

The rest of the early Scranton roster is similarly predictable. Donnie’s latest list has 27 players assigned to Triple-A, and that will be trimmed to 24 before the opener.

Trenton
Muuch like Scranton, Josh Norris reports that the Double-A rotation has been set with Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Graham Stoneburner, Shaeffer Hall and Steve Garrison, not necessarily in that order. Enjoy that group, Trenton. They might not be there long.

Norris also has a rough Double-A roster that will have to be tweaked before the opener. Brad Suttle is not listed, but that seems to be nothing more than a typo. Mark Newman confirmed this morning that Suttle is definitely still with the organization, and unless Suttle is hurt, Double-A is the most logical place for him.

Tampa
It seems contrary to what you might expect, but Tampa is always the last roster to go public. There’s no one who really covers that team — that I know of, anyway — so the information is slow to arrive.

Charleston
The team released an official roster, one that includes Gary Sanchez, Slade Heathcott, J.R. Murphy, Ramon Flores, Anderson Feliz and Tommy Kahnle.

The most notable players left off the Charleston roster are from last year’s draft. Third-round pick Rob Segedin is the highest pick from last year’s draft on the Charleston roster. Newman confirmed that first-round pick Cito Culver will open in extended spring, and it looks like Angelo Gumbs and Mason Williams will be in extended as well. The Yankees took a similar approach with Heathcott last season.

Released
Baseball America  has the end-of-camp cuts: RHP Ryan Acosta, RHP Philip Bartleski, RHP Bryant Cotton, RHP Joel Marte, RHP Ben Watkins, LHP Sam Elam, LHP Trenton Lare, C Kyle Perkins, 1B Nick Ebert, 2B Ronnie Belliard, 2B Justin Snyder, OF Isaiah Brown

Newman said this morning that no one else has been released since minor league camp broke on Sunday.

Ivan Nova made a point of saying he “wasn’t thinking about last year” as he worked through the Twins lineup for a second and third time last night, but that doesn’t mean everyone else wasn’t. Even Russell Martin, who wasn’t even on the Yankees in 2010, was aware of Nova’s penchant for unraveling later in games.

So yes, Martin knew that Joe Girardi had Boone Logan and Dave Robertson warming up in the bullpen in the sixth inning, and yes, he knew that facing Jim Thome – who had ripped a double in his last at-bat – was exactly the kind of moment that might have undone Nova a year ago.

He still wanted Nova to stay in the game.

“I was happy (Girardi) left him in there,” Martin said afterward. “Right now, I think he’s just focusing on competing and not letting his foot off the pedal.”

Nova didn’t. In the at-bat where Thome doubled, Nova had tried to get a 3-2 change-up past the lefty DH, a pitch that took guts from a 24-year-old rookie and one that impressed Alex Rodriguez over at third base. “I didn’t think that was a bad pitch,” A-Rod said.

Facing Thome again, Nova wanted to stay aggressive and this time he went with his fastball, getting Thome to swing through the ball for the final out of the righty’s night. “When I faced him, I said, ‘I got to take him out right now’ and I did,” Nova said.

As impressive as that was, the at-bat that was even more memorable was how Nova handled Joe Mauer an inning earlier. With three runs on the board for the Twins and the tying run at second base, Nova could have seen his start turn ugly if the 3-time AL batting champion connected. Instead, Nova went with his curveball and got Mauer to roll over a grounder to second, impressing everyone – particularly his catcher and his manager.

“When he keeps the ball down, he’s got a lot of action,” Martin said.

“Those are things he needs to be able to do,” Girardi said. “That’s what we want to see.”

As good as Ivan Nova was tonight, the Yankees bullpen ran yet another perfect relay, reprising its Opening Day routine when Joba Chamberlain took a lead from the starter in the seventh inning, passed it to Rafael Soriano in the eighth before Mariano Rivera finished things in the ninth. That’s how the Yankees drew it up before the season, and after tonight’s game Joe Girardi officially named Joba Chamberlain as his seventh inning reliever.

“Right now, that’s what we’re doing,” Girardi said. “We love the way he threw the ball in spring training (and) Joba has the ability to get lefties out as well as righties.”

There had been some concern about Chamberlain’s velocity over the weekend, but Girardi downplayed it and is – obviously – very pleased with how the end-game bullpen crew has played out. “That’s what you want to have, and we have that luxury,” Girardi said.

• As Alex Rodriguez said, some of the situations Nova faced late in his outing tonight were kind of “hairy,” most notably the fifth inning when he faced Joe Mauer with the tying run on second. “You got to be careful with him,” Nova said of the three-time AL batting champion, and he was … but not so much that he wasn’t going to go after him.

Using his curveball, Nova got Mauer to roll over a ground ball to second base and escape with the Yankees lead still intact. Considering his history from last season when facing hitters for the second and third time, it was a significant accomplishment for Nova, as was his strikeout of Jim Thome an inning later.

“That was a very big at-bat,” A-Rod said of Nova getting Mauer. “He made some really, really good pitches.”

• Mark Teixeira had the same reaction that you probably did when he got hit in the foot in the first inning. “I was just like, ‘Oh no, not again,’” he said afterward, but was pleased to report that the pitch actually caught him a little closer to his toes so the pain wasn’t too bad. He said he’s fine.

• Rafael Soriano has allowed just one earned run in his last 18 innings against AL Central opponents – thanks, Yankees PR staff for that nugget – and he’s clearly comfortable with his new role as Rivera’s set-up man. Here’s something else you might not know about him: He’s a strong clubhouse presence. According to Girardi, Soriano has “a sense of humor (and) he wants to teach as well. Those are the things you don’t know about a guy.”

• Alex Rodriguez had two RBI, giving him 1,835 for his career and tying him with Rafael Palmeiro for 14th place on the all-time list. A-Rod also hit his 615th career home run. “I just got a good pitch to hit and smoked it,” he said. Well all right.

• Jorge Posada? Apparently loving life as the DH. He’s got three home runs in his past six at-bats.

• The Twins just can’t beat the Yankees. They’ve lost 18 of their last 20 overall against the Yankees and have won four of their last 30 regular-season games in the Bronx.

Strong 2011 debut from Ivan Nova, who allowed three runs in six innings as the Yankees beat Minnesota, 4-3. Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada homered, but Nova was the story, as he took a no-hitter two outs into the fourth inning and then held firm as the Twins tried to come back.

“Nova did exactly what we expect him to do,” A-Rod said. “Tonight, he made some pitches where last year, I think maybe the game could have got away from him.”

That Nova didn’t unravel late was the most encouraging aspect for the Yankees tonight, and several Yankees happily noted the change. Back with more from the clubhouse shortly.

YANKEES (2-1)
Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada DH
Curtis Granderson CF
Russell Martin C

RHP Ivan Nova (1-2, 4.50 ERA in 2010)
Nova vs. Twins

TWINS (1-2)
Denard Span CF
Tsuyoshi Nishioka 2B
Joe Mauer C
Justin Morneau 1B
Delmon Young LF
Jim Thome DH
Jason Kubel RF
Danny Valencia 3B
Alexi Casilla SS

RHP Scott Baker (12-9, 4.49 in 2010)
Baker vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 7:05 p.m., YES Network and ESPN

WEATHER: Cloudy with a chill in the air. Temps in the high 50′s to low 60′s.

UMPIRES: HP Dan Bellino, 1B Brian Gorman, 2B Larry Vanover, 3B Tony Randazzo

OUT THE GATE: Mark Teixeira now joins Dave Winfield as the only Yankees in franchise history to hit home runs in each of the first three games of a season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Winfield did it in 1983. Elias also found that the nine home runs hit by the Yankees as a team is the most in franchise history through three games.

ONE TO WATCH: You have to figure Boone Logan is going to see Justin Morneau at some point over the next four games and the Twins first baseman has had success against Logan in the past. Morneau is 7-for-13 with a homer and four RBI off Logan in his career.

SMALL SAMPLE: Not much to go on with Ivan Nova and the Twins – his only appearance against them last year was a one-inning relief appearance at home in May. For what it’s worth, Nova didn’t allow a run.

UPDATE, 7:45 p.m.: Well, not too shabby for Ivan Nova so far, eh? CC Sabathia was raving earlier today about Nova’s presence and poise, and so far the kid doesn’t exactly look bothered by being a full-fledged member of the rotation. It also sure looks like Jorge Posada is getting pretty comfortable with the whole DH thing. 4-0 Yankees in the bottom of the second.

UPDATE, 7:57 p.m.: A leadoff walk is no problem for Nova, who continues to look in control. Double play gets him out of the third and it’s still 4-0.

UPDATE, 8:11 p.m.: And the fourth unravels a bit for Nova after he recorded the first two outs. A double for Justin Morneau broke up the no-hitter, an infield single got Delmon Young on and then Jim Thome absolutely crushed a ball to right-center for a two-run double. It’s 4-2 now going to the bottom of the fourth.

UPDATE, 8:27 p.m.: Unlucky for Gardner, who could use a break. Delmon Young flat robbed him of a two-run double (triple?) with a great grab down the left-field line. It stays 4-2, Yankees.

UPDATE, 8:49 p.m.: Nova gives up a leadoff single to Morneau which gets the bullpen working – Boone Logan got up – but then induced a double-play from Delmon Young and whiffs Thome swinging to get through the sixth. Still 4-3 Yanks.

UPDATE, 9:04 p.m.: And that’s it for Nova. Very, very solid effort. Joba on now to protect the lead.

UPDATE, 9:17 p.m.: The Yankees reliever flow chart continues with Soriano, now coming in for the eighth. Still 4-3.

Phil Hughes’s velocity was still a hot topic this afternoon, with Joe Girardi saying he believes Hughes can still succeed even if he’s not throwing as hard as he has in the past. Girardi cited Jamie Moyer and Mike Mussina as pitchers who had plenty of success without an overpowering fastball, saying, “We can talk until we’re blue in the face about velocity, but Jamie Moyer is winning throwing 84 mph, 82 mph. Velocity becomes more important when you’re not locating because you’re going to get away with pitches, but if you locate, you can pitch at 90, 89, 91. You can do it. We saw Mike Mussina win 20 games and he topped out at 88.”

Wally Matthews questioned Girardi about the comparison to Moyer – rightfully, I thought – since Hughes and Moyer are, obviously, very different types of pitchers, and Girardi said he ultimately doesn’t want Hughes thinking about velocity at all. “I don’t want him to try to do is pitch to the gun,” Girardi said, “because if you try to get to 94, you’re not going to get there.”

Girardi also pointed out that Hughes, who topped out at 91 mph yesterday, was never higher than 94 mph as a starter last year. The 96 mph stuff Hughes showed came when he was a reliever, and Girardi believes Hughes can be just fine even if his velocity doesn’t tick back up. “Sure he can,” Girardi said. “He has four pitches that he can use and he has to mix and he has to locate.”

Also, just to reiterate: Girardi said there has been no indication that Hughes has any kind of physical/injury issue.

• Guess the Lineup Alert: Andruw Jones will make his first start for the Yankees tomorrow against Twins lefty Brian Duensing with Brett Gardner or Curtis Granderson getting a day off. Derek Jeter will lead off, Girardi said.

• Could be a busy week for Boone Logan with the lefty-heavy Twins in town for four and then a weekend trip to Boston. “He could get a lot of work this week and we have to be smart about it,” Girardi said.

• Are you freaking out about the slow starts from Jeter and Gardner? Well, Girardi isn’t. “These guys are going to get their hits, that’s’ the bottom line,” he said. “I don’t worry too much about two days. Obviously, you’d like to see them get on two or three times every day, but we know that’s not going to happen. You just tell them to keep swinging.”

• In case you didn’t get enough velocity talk with Hughes, there was also a question about Joba Chamberlain’s velocity. His pitches were slightly lower over the weekend as well, topping out at 95 mph when he’d hit 97 mph in spring. Girardi’s explanation? “Sometimes the weather had something to do with that. We had a hot spring. You felt like you were in the middle of the summer when you were in spring training.”

• One more from Pedro Feliciano, on whether or not the Mets “abused” him over the past few seasons: “I want to pitch, I want to be on the mound always. I think some points they just leave me in there for no reason, but I want to pitch. I want to be in there.”

Injured lefty Pedro Feliciano said he was “hurt” by comments from Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen in which Warthen said that Feliciano’s heavy workload was “part of the reason we decided to not re-sign him.”

Speaking in the Yankees clubhouse just before batting practice today, Feliciano said flatly, “that’s not right,” and said the Mets only offered him a one-year contract so he chose to seek a multi-year deal elsewhere (he’s on a two-year, $8 million deal with the Yankees). “It hurts because I like Dan,” Feliciano said. “He was one of my good pitching coaches, and when I read that, it hurts.”

Then, when I asked Feliciano if he had reached out to Warthen after reading his comments, he said this: “Oh, no, no. I don’t (have) his number or nothing. I will show him in the Subway Series when I strike out Ike Davis. When I jump on the mound, I’ll be like, ‘That’s for you.’”

Now, Feliciano was chuckling as he said it – and it was a good line – but it was also clear he was bothered by the notion Warthen had offered in his comments. In case you’re wondering, Feliciano is scheduled to play catch on Wednesday and hopes to come off the disabled list near the end of the month … in plenty of time for the first Subway Series which starts May 20.

Pretty standard for the Yankees in the opener with the Twins …

Gardner LF
Jeter SS
Teixeira 1b
Rodriguez 3b
Cano 2b
Swisher RF
Posada DH
Granderson CF
Martin C

Pitching: Ivan Nova

Tonight the next question in a question-heavy rotation comes to light. Ivan Nova takes the ball for the 2-1 Yankees in the opener of a four-game series against the Twins at Yankee Stadium.

The 24-year-old rookie righty flashed some potential at the tail end of last season, going 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA over 10 games, including seven starts. Then he posted a 1.80 ERA in five Grapefruit League starts. That included his six no-hit innings against the Orioles on March 16. Nova has a good arm and confidence. Now the Yankees need to see consistency in the real games. And they need to see him hold up the second and third times through the order.

Russell Martin will guide him through from behind the plate. He liked the look of the slider Nova was working on in spring training.

“For me, the key is to keep it simple,” Martin said. “He’s really good when he works his fastball down in the zone and just finds a way to get the breaking ball over for a strike to keep the hitters off his fastball.”

Do you believe Nova has what it takes to hold down this fourth-starter job? I have a feeling he could turn out to be pretty good, but we’ll see soon enough.

The Yankees will go with CC Sabathia on regular rest Tuesday night, then work in fifth-starter Freddy Garcia Wednesday night, another question mark on display. A.J. Burnett will take the ball for the series finale Thursday. Scott Baker, Brian Duensing, Carl Pavano and Francisco Liriano will start for the Twins, who have dropped 17 of the last 19 against the Yankees, including the three-game sweeps in the division series the last two years.

Here are my reports on what happened yesterday, from Phil Hughes’ search for his old fastball to Jorge Posada adjusting to the DH role and Mark Teixeira getting off to a nice start.