Open Thread: 3/8 Camp Notes

The Yankees won their third straight Grapefruit League game this afternoon, beating the Astros 9-6 in a back and forth affair. Ivan Nova got hit around really hard in the first inning but settled down in the next three. His finished with three runs allowed on eight hits in four innings, striking out five and walking zero. Manny Banuelos got roughed up in his spring debut. Five relievers combined to allow only two hits in the final 4.1 innings.

At the plate, Brett Gardner went 1-for-4 with a single while Mark Teixeira went 1-for-2 with a double off the wall (as a right-handed batter), a walk, and a strikeout. Kelly Johnson had a walk and a two-run homer in three plate appearances. Dean Anna and Austin Romine both had two singles and Mason Williams had the double off the wall you see in the video above. He also got picked off first base later in the game. Here’s the box score and video highlights, and here’s the rest from Tampa.

• The upcoming rotation: David Phelps (Sunday), Monday off, CC Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka (Tuesday, Tanaka will throw a simulated game), Hiroki Kuroda (Wednesday), Michael Pineda and Nova (Thursday, split squad games), Phelps (Friday), Vidal Nuno and Adam Warren (Saturday, Tampa and Panama), Tanaka and Sabathia (Sunday, Tampa and Panama). [Chad Jennings]
• Because of the Panama games, the first round of roster cuts will come later than usual this spring. They simply need the extra bodies since they’ll be playing seven games in four days from Thursday through Sunday. Joe Girardi is heading to Panama and third base coach Rob Thomson will serve as manager for the games in Tampa. [George King]
• Johnson will get his first start at first base tomorrow. He’s the backup first baseman by default. Bench coach Tony Pena ran him through a scooping drill today by hitting hard hit ground balls at him from second base. [Jorge Castillo]
• Brendan Ryan is “nicked up” and will be out until the middle of next week with a back/oblique issue. It isn’t considered a long-term problem. [Erik Boland]
• Sabathia and Tanaka threw their usual between-starts bullpen sessions. Tyler Austin did not hit today, but it was a scheduled day off for him and his balky wrist, not a setback. [Jennings]

This is your nightly open thread. This afternoon’s game will not be replayed anywhere, though MLB Network will carry and the Mariners and Dodgers live later tonight. The Devils and Knicks are both playing as well. Talk about anything and everything right here.