Nova effective as Yankees get first victory, 6-2

BALTIMORE -- Let the panic subside, the ledges backed away from.

The Yankees will not go 0-162.

And the Orioles, for that matter, won't go 162-0.

The win that Joe Girardi said over the weekend is sometimes the "hardest to get'' came Monday night at Camden Yards as the Yankees beat the Orioles, 6-2, behind a stellar outing by Ivan Nova and an 11-hit attack that included four from Derek Jeter.

"You try to get the first one out of the way because you don't want to think about it too long,'' Jeter said. "Yeah, it's good to get the first win.''

Or as Mark Teixeira said: "It's nice to shake hands again.''

Nova, giving what Jeter said was "exactly what we needed,'' made a horrendous spring training -- one in which he had an 8.06 ERA -- seem as though it happened to another pitcher, allowing two runs and 10 hits in seven innings. Displaying a curveball that one scout called "just nasty,'' Nova struck out seven and walked none.

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"Spring training is spring training,'' said Nova, who nonetheless said there were some mechanical issues he needed to work out. "Tonight was good. Everything was working.''

Said Joe Girardi: "He did what you're supposed to do. He pitched effectively with his four pitches.''

Before the game, Girardi didn't make too much of Nova's March struggles or the club's first 0-3 start since 1998, focusing on the positives he saw during the Rays' sweep. "It's important we're doing things the right way,'' he said, "and I felt our guys did.''

His team certainly did Monday night, though Girardi did say there was a little bit of relief after notching a "1'' in the win column. "I thought our guys were pretty loose today, and that's what I want. I want our guys relaxed and playing the game,'' he said. "But I'm sure everyone exhaled a little bit.''

The Yankees grabbed a quick lead against lefthander Brian Matusz. Jeter, who went 4-for-4 with a double, led off with a single for the third time in four games. After Alex Rodriguez walked, Teixeira, 1-for-9 with three walks against the Rays, took Matusz the other way, singling to right to make it 1-0.

Nova allowed the Orioles to tie it in the second. With one out, he fell behind Matt Wieters 2-and-0. Nova laid in the next pitch and the switch-hitting Wieters, who had four hits, belted it over the wall in right for his second homer of the season.

But Nova shut out the Orioles for the next four innings, not allowing another run until the seventh. "Nova, he never backs down, he's relentless,'' Russell Martin said. "He gives his best effort every time.''

Nova pitched out of a jam in the third. Andino laced a double into the gap in left-center -- Curtis Granderson just missed making a diving catch to his right -- and Nolan Reimold followed with an infield single that could have gone as an error on Eduardo Nuñez. But Nova struck out J.J. Hardy on a breaking ball in the dirt and got out of the inning when Nick Markakis grounded into a 6-3 double play.

The Yankees scored three times in the top of the fourth, getting a run-scoring single from Martin, a sacrifice fly by Nuñez and an RBI double from Jeter to make it 4-1.

Andruw Jones led off the sixth against righty Darren O'Day with a long homer to left to make it 5-1.

"So far, we've been struggling,'' Martin said. "To get that first win, it's not easy.''