Last 2 rotation spots still up for grabs

TAMPA, Fla. -- Finally, some separation in the rotation competition.

Though, still not a lot.

Bartolo Colon, who had allowed one run in five innings coming in, started Wednesday night against the Pirates and gave up two runs and four hits in four innings. Colon, 37, struck out seven and walked none.

After watching another contender, Freddy Garcia, throw three perfect innings Tuesday afternoon, Joe Girardi said the four participants fighting for the fourth and fifth starter jobs had made things difficult.

"There's been no separation yet," he said before referencing that, to that point, Colon, Garcia, Ivan Nova and Sergio Mitre had given up a total of one run in 20 innings.

Before the game general manager Brian Cashman said "I've got nothing going on, zero" in regard to bringing in any other potential starters, meaning as of now the Yankees will start the season with two of the aforementioned pitchers in the rotation.

"In the grand scheme of things I'd rather have these guys throwing well in front of us and showing the ability to compete and be successful than the opposite where you're scrambling and you don't feel like you have anything here in front of you," Cashman said. "We may very well have the answers in front of us. Time will tell."

Extra bases

A slew of scouts again were in attendance as 19-year-old lefthander Manny Banuelos, who came in having allowed no runs and one hit, with five strikeouts, in three innings, added two scoreless inning in which he allowed two hits and struck out three . . . C Russell Martin hit his first homer of the spring in the first inning, smacking Kevin Correia's 1-and-1 pitch over the wall in left to make it 1-0 . . . Andruw Jones hit his first spring homer in the fifth, making it 4-2 . . . Bernie Williams threw out the first pitch. He'll be in camp through Saturday as a guest instructor.