BRADENTON, Fla. – Ivan Nova struggled in his latest bid to gain the upper hand in the competition for a spot in the Yankees' rotation, giving up four runs Sunday in New York's 11-9 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates highlighted by Melky Mesa's grand slam.
Kevin Youkillis added a two-run shot for New York, and Brennan Boesch had two hits and a sacrifice fly in his second game with the Yankees. Boesch signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract Friday after he was released by the Detroit Tigers.
In his first game against his former teammates, Russell Martin went 0 for 2 with a run scored for Pittsburgh.
Nova gave up six hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out four.
Pirates right-hander Phil Irwin worked 2 1-3 innings, yielding six runs on seven hits and two walks.
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