Ivan Nova returned to the mound at Yankee Stadium for the first time in 14 months and outdueled Philadelphia Phillies starter Cole Hamels as the Yankees prevented being swept by the team with the worst record in baseball with a 10-2 win.
Wednesday afternoon’s pitching matchup was an informal audition, as the Yankees are likely to look to improve their starting rotation in the second half of the season.
Hamels (5-6) will be an appealing trade target of contending teams over the next month, while Nova is an in-house option to bring stability to a collection of arms that have been mighty at times, but also wildly inconsistent, evident by the previous three games, in which Yankees pitchers gave up 11 or more runs each time out.