Colon (2.40 ERA) continues to excel

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Bartolo Colon may leave the Yankees no choice. The longest of shots to make the rotation when spring training began, the non-roster invitee pitched six mostly spectacular innings in the Rays' 3-1 victory Monday night.

Colon, 37, allowed a run and two hits, striking out five and walking none. He has struck out 17 and walked one in 15 innings, compiling a 2.40 ERA.

Pounding the strike zone throughout, Colon threw strikes on 52 of his 64 pitches. A homer by the Rays' Kelly Shoppach on an 0-and-2 pitch with one out in the sixth tied the score at 1-1. "He was really good," Joe Girardi said. "He did what he's done all spring . . . It's something to chew on, that's for sure."

Before the game, GM Brian Cashman acknowledged the obvious. "We're going to have to make a call here soon," he said.

Colon, who was signed after being managed by Yankees bench coach Tony Peña in winter ball, entered spring training on the periphery of the conversation for the two open spots in the rotation. He weighed 267 pounds, 25 more than he wanted.

Ivan Nova, who appears to be in a commanding position to win the No. 4 spot, and Freddy Garcia -- who went 12-6 with the White Sox in 2010 -- had been considered the heavy favorites over Colon and Sergio Mitre. The question for the Yankees is whether they want to gamble on Garcia, who threw 157 innings last season, or Colon, who hasn't pitched in the majors since 2009.

"He's done, so far, everything he needs to do to at least stay in the conversation," Cashman said of Colon before the game.

Cashman said of Garcia, "I know what he is," meaning a battler who, regardless of radar readings, competes and often is able to find a way to get people out. Cashman is not as sure what he has in Colon. He's a former No. 1 starter who could be showing signs of producing one heck of a last hurrah -- which suddenly would give the Yankees a former Cy Young Award winner with near-ace stuff pitching from the fifth spot in their rotation -- or could be a March illusion. "I pitched well in winter ball," Colon said. "When I came into spring training, I knew I was capable of pitching well."

Garcia, who has a 5.93 ERA in 132/3 innings, will pitch in a minor-league game Thursday, and the outing could be the final piece of information the Yankees will consider before making a determination. Mitre starts Tuesday afternoonagainst the Orioles in Sarasota, though he seems destined to be the long reliever. Another option could be sending Colon to the bullpen and releasing or trading Mitre.

"Whatever they want to do with me, I'd be willing to do," Colon said of pitching in relief.

On merit, the Colon-Garcia competition hasn't been close. The Yankees have about as much information as they're going to get on the pair. All that's left is to make a decision.

Said Cashman, "With all these guys, you go through six weeks of spring training and you see what you see. Listen, we've all been deceived in March before, but we've also been rewarded with March before. You go through the motions, you put the work in, you see what you see in the games and you have to make a call. And you hope it's going to be the right call. We might be picking the right guy, we might be picking the wrong guy. You just have to wait and see."