Yankees set final pitching rotation as season is set to begin

For all those March Madness Betting fans of the New York Yankees, you can rest easy, the team has announced their full five-man starting pitching rotation.

With the 2011 MLB season ready to start and March Madness odds becoming more significant, the Yankees put all competition to rest by giving the final two spots to Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia. Both entered camp as favourites to secure the final two spots in the Yankees' rotation and now they are officially the 4th and 5th starters respectively.


Nova earned his spot as he posted a 1.80 ERA in five outings this spring while showing that he can pitch with confidence and improved numbers from last season.

The final spot was up for grabs right until the very end. Bartolo Colon did his best to try and shake things up by putting up a 2.40 ERA to Garcia's 5.93 mark. But in the end it came down to what has each pitcher done most recently in regular season action. The 34-year-old Garcia threw 157 innings and won 12 games for the White Sox last season, which is certainly much better than Colon, who last pitched in July 2009.

Nova and Garcia now complete a five-man rotation that already has CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett.

Now that the pitching is set the team can focus on the season ahead. The Yankees did not have a lot of work to do to prepare as they returned eight of their nine regulars with Russell Martin being the only new face. He will take over behind the plate as Jorge Posada has been moved to designated hitter.

The bullpen is going to be a strong point for the Yankees this season as Rafael Soriano will be added to the late inning mix. He will be inserted as the setup man for closer Mariano Rivera.

Wondering what will happen to Colon after such a strong spring? He will pitch out of the bullpen which will make the pitching staff even deeper and offer more options for Girardi. Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson will provide right-handed depth, while left-handers Pedro Feliciano and Boone Logan will do the same on the other side of the mound.

The Yankees had no problem scoring runs last season, leading the Majors in runs scored. Now with their five-man unit set for starting pitching, a deep bullpen and one of the scariest closers in history, the Yankees will be one of the favourites to win it all this season.