NEW YORK -- As a wise man once said, baseball is a funny game. In their first two games against the bottom-feeding Philadelphia Phillies, the Yankees surrendered 22 runs despite having their best starting pitcher (Michael Pineda) throw in the first one and a former Cy Young Award winner (CC Sabathia) work the second.
On Wednesday, they handed the ball to a pitcher who had not faced a major league hitter in more than a year and came away with a resounding victory, averting the humiliation of being swept at home by a team that is 22 games below .500. In addition, after losing the first two games of this series to nondescript pitchers, the Yankee hitters dealt out a beating to Cole Hamels, the ace of the Phillies' staff. Go figure.
Now they head off on their upcoming seven-game road trip riding the crest of a 10-2 win and a 5-3 homestand.
Triumphant return: In his first big-league start in 14 months, Ivan Nova looked as if he had never been away, working into the seventh inning and shutting down the Phillies on just three hits, one of them an infield single. Although he hit 94 mph on the gun, Nova wasn't overpowering (just one strikeout), just good, working out of two minor jams in the second and third innings but otherwise in command of a lineup that had put up 11 runs in each of the two previous games. Added bonus: Nova's 6⅔ IP allowed the Yankees to rest Dellin Betances, who struggled Tuesday night. Bryan Mitchell, called up over the weekend, retired all four batters he faced, but Diego Moreno let the shutout get away in the ninth, allowing two ninth-inning runs on three hits, two of them doubles.
Good day, sunshine: The Yankees padded their lead with three runs in the fourth inning, a rally started when Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis lost Didi Gregorius' routine pop fly in the sun, turning what should have been the first out of the inning into a leadoff double. RBI singles by Brett Gardner, Chase Headley and Mark Teixeira followed, the last a rare opposite-field liner to right by Tex from the right side of the plate. The ribbie was Teixeira's 50th of the season and gave the Yankees and Nova a 5-0 lead.
Sloppy second: The Yankees scored two second-inning runs thanks to some incredibly shoddy defensive play by the Phillies. The Yankees got runners to first and second on a single by Chris Young and a walk to John Ryan Murphy, and then loaded the bases when Gregorius' bunt bounced high in front of the plate and became an infield hit. Jose Pirela then bounced one to third, and after making a nice bare-handed pick, Phils third baseman Andres Blanco fired wildly home, allowing both runners to score.
Piling on: The Yankees tacked on four more runs in the seventh on three walks, a pair of singles and Jose Pirela's booming double off the center-field fence. But the highlight of the inning came when Alex Rodriguez, on third after his two-RBI single, had to execute a reverse somersault on the grass to avoid being decapitated by Young's screaming foul down the 3B line.
Great escape: Nova allowed a leadoff double to Ryan Howard -- Gardner tried to make an ill-advised diving catch on what should have been a single -- in the second inning, and although Howard reached third on Domonic Brown's groundout, he went no further when Nova got the next two hitters to ground out and foul out to end the inning.
Play nice!: Although it did not appear Hamels hit A-Rod on purpose when his first-inning fastball ran in and plunked the Yankees DH on the left thigh, home-plate ump Brian O'Nora immediately issued warnings to both benches, drawing both managers out of their dugouts to complain.
Hit the road, Joe: Manager Joe Girardi was ejected, for the second time this season, in the third inning, apparently for arguing a check-swing call from the dugout with first-base umpire Alan Porter. Girardi came out to confront Porter briefly, then retreated to the dugout, collected his clipboard and disappeared into the Yankees' clubhouse.
Next!: The Yankees fly to Houston to begin the road trip, starting with a four-game series against the surprising Astros at Minute Maid Park. Pitching matchups: Adam Warren (5-4, 3.62) vs. LHP Dallas Keuchel (8-3, 2.35) Thursday and Nathan Eovaldi (6-2, 4.95) vs. RHP Vince Velasquez (0-0, 4.15) Friday, both games at 8:10 p.m. Masahiro Tanaka (4-3, 3.17) goes Saturday at 4:10 p.m. vs. LHP Brett Oberholtzer (2-1, 2.81) and Pineda goes Sunday at 2:10 p.m. vs. RHP Collin McHugh (8-3, 4.80). All games on YES and MLBN.