SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Ivan Nova allowed five runs in four innings and his hold on a spot in the New York Yankees’ starting rotation grew more tenuous with a 6-3 loss to a Baltimore Orioles split squad Sunday night.
Nova, who was 16-4 with a 3.70 ERA as a rookie in 2011, has allowed 11 runs in 12 2-3 innings for a 7.82 spring ERA.
When Andy Pettitte announced Friday that he signed a minor league deal to come out of a one-year retirement, Nova’s place in the rotation became less secure. He is already competing with Freddy Garcia, Phil Hughes and Michael Pineda for spots in back of CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda.
Adam Jones hit a three-run home run and Matt Wieters added a solo shot for Baltimore in a four-run first inning.
Alfredo Simon started for the Orioles and left after two innings with a groin injury.
