"The Yankees are running out of time to make a decision on the back of their rotation, and Freddy Garcia is running out of chances to prove he belongs. Knocked around for a second straight start, Garcia's status as a favorite is growing less certain. "I'm not going to make too much of one start," manager Joe Girardi said. "But obviously you have to continue to make pitches in this league." After allowing five runs against the Blue Jays on Saturday, Garcia has a 5.93 ERA through four starts. He's been the least effective of the four rotation candidates, but entered camp with the best combination of major-league track record and recent major-league success. "I think we're going to have to make that (decision) sooner than later," general manager Brian Cashman said. "Ultimately, we have guys who have outs in their contracts with Garcia and (Bartolo) Colon. We have to stretch guys out and start defining roles sooner than later." Girardi seems more willing to wait. Prospect Ivan Nova was dominant in his previous start, the Yankees have been impressed by the veteran Colon, and Sergio Mitre has pitched to a 2.25 ERA. Girardi said all four candidates will get another start before a decision is finalized. "I'm not going to make a decision until we decide to make a decision," Girardi said. "For me, if it doesn't happen until the 28th, it doesn't happen until the 28th. Obviously you'd like to be able to set guys up as soon as you could, but if we feel like we still have evaluations to make, we'll make them." Coming off four runs in 2 2/3 innings in his previous start, Garcia retired the first nine Blue Jays, but he struggled his second and third times through the order. He allowed three runs on three hits in the fourth inning and gave up a two-run home run with two outs in the sixth." Read more: http://www.lohud.com/article/201103...latest-start?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Yankees
