Nova dominates; Yankees tie Red Sox

CHICAGO -- Inexplicably, the Yankees are 1-8 against the Red Sox this season.

Almost as inexplicably, they'll start a three-game series Friday night at Fenway Park tied for first.

Ivan Nova, who has done nothing to lose his spot in the rotation but very well could, pitched a gem in leading the Yankees to their seventh straight win, this one a 7-2 victory over the White Sox Thursday night in front of 28,088 at U.S. Cellular Field.

The victory completed a four-game sweep and sent the Yankees to Fenway at 68-42, same as the Red Sox, who lost to visiting Cleveland, 7-3.

"I think it's just fitting,'' Mark Teixeira said. "We're supposed to be battling with these guys . . . They're a great team, we're playing well right now. It's going to be a fun series.''

Nova (10-4, 3.81), described by catcher Russell Martin as "electric,'' allowed one run, six hits and no walks in 72/3 innings, striking out a career-best 10. He is unbeaten in his last six decisions and, even with the almost four weeks he spent with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Phil Hughes was activated, is tied for second on the staff in victories.

"My slider today was unbelievable,'' Nova said. "Everything was working good.''

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Said Joe Girardi, "Might be as good as we've seen him all year.''

But with the Yankees unlikely to stick with a six-man rotation beyond this week -- and with Girardi having said that Hughes (who was outstanding Tuesday) and A.J. Burnett (who was decidedly not outstanding Wednesday) will take their next turns -- that leaves Nova to be sent to the bullpen or to Triple-A.

So what's next for Nova? "I don't know,'' Girardi said. "We'll continue to talk about it. We have a lot of people throwing the ball well and I'd like to keep it that way.''

Nova said "I'm happy now'' and not thinking about what's next, though he sounded like a pitcher who soon might be ticketed for the minors.

"When you have a day like today, I'm not going to lie; it's hard to think that you have to go down,'' Nova said.

Shoving those thoughts aside, Nova dominated the White Sox before David Robertson picked up the last out in the eighth. Adam Dunn homered off Hector Noesi in the ninth, but the Yankees pitching staff extended its streak to 39 innings without a walk.

Martin hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh and a three-run homer in the ninth to account for the Yankees' final four runs. They had eight hits -- two each by Robinson Cano, who hit his 18th homer in the second, and Eric Chavez -- and outscored the White Sox 34-11 in the series.

So when will Girardi figure out what to do with his six starting pitchers and five spots? "I don't necessarily have a timetable,'' he said. "I'll talk to Brian [Cashman] tonight and I'll probably talk to him again in the morning.''

Girardi has left open the possibility of using Nova in the bullpen. Although it's not likely, he hasn't ruled out continuing with a six-man rotation another time through, although Monday's off day would make that more difficult.

Outside of April, when Nova went 1-2 with a 5.82 ERA, he has pitched well, steadily getting better and better. He has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in nine of his 17 starts. He went 3-1 with a 3.90 ERA in May, 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA in June and 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in July. But he was sent down July 3 to make room for Hughes and didn't pitch again for the Yankees until last Saturday in a doubleheader against Baltimore.

"It was tough to send him down the first time,'' Girardi said. "It's just something we need to talk about.''

Cano's opposite-field shot put the Yankees ahead in the second, and they went ahead 2-1 in the sixth when Brett Gardner beat Dunn's throw home on Curtis Granderson's groundout to first. Jorge Posada's RBI single and Martin's sacrifice fly made it 4-1 in the seventh.