NOVA'S TURN FOR THE WORST

I'm not exactly sure what happened to Ivan Nova, but it appears that he may not be part of the Yankees plans this fall.  I mean, this was a guy that was dominant last season, after he was sent down to the minor leagues.  Then, when the Yankees needed him most in the 2011 post season, he stepped up and took the ball.

Now, after a stint on the DL and just a bunch of lousy starts (Since the All-Star break, he has a 7.05 ERA & opposing bats are hitting .309 against him), he may have pitched himself out of the post season rotation. According to ESPN's Wally Matthews, "Nova's record has been deceptive all season. After a poor spring, he started out 3-0, to extend a streak of 15 straight wins he had begun the previous June. At one point in the season, he was 9-2, but his ERA languished above 5.00 into June, and he allowed an alarming number of home runs and extra-base hits.

Nova suffered through an especially bad July and August, and then spent nearly a month on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation. When he returned on Sept. 15, he threw a good outing at the Tampa Bay Rays -- six innings of four-hit, two-run ball -- but reverted five days later against the A's, and repeated that performance Thursday against the Blue Jays." Read the rest HERE.

Look, right now, if I needed to put together a first round rotation, I go with CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, Hiroki Kuroda and Phil Hughes.  Do I wish Nova was pitching well right now? Of course, but he's having an off year. I don't think Nova is injured, but I wonder if his injury last season has lingered somehow, meaning, maybe he needs alittle more time.  Whatever the case, you can't over think it, sometimes pitchers and players have bad seasons, it happens.

The best part, and this is where I love these players, Nova still has a ton of confidence. This is his quote from a few days ago:

 “I’m not thinking about that... I’m going to keep working like I’m going to start next time. If he don’t give me next time, what can I do? I’m confident, I’ll still work and hopefully I can get the next one and then be in the playoff rotation.” (Read the rest HERE.)

Look, you gotta love that, but I really don't see Nova as part of the post season plans.  Bottom line, Nova will be alright, even if he isn't part of the post season, but let's hope long term the kid's alright, because I like Ivan Nova, he's got a lot of guts.

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