Brian Cashman knows the Yankees' quick turnaround after their 1-4 start was important not just because of the standings, but because it helped his team breathe a little easier.
"We just don't want to turn up the heat on ourselves," the general manager said. "There's an avalanche of negativity that can follow poor performance, and if you can keep that stuff at bay, the more enjoyable your sleeps are."
That avalanche is something Ivan Nova could soon become familiar with. Nova said he will treat tonight's outing against the Diamondbacks as he would any other, though he still has not gotten over being skipped last week.
AP
SKIP AND JUMP: After the Yankees used last week's rainouts in Cleveland as a chance to pass by Ivan Nova in the rotation, the up-and-down righty has something to prove in tonight's Stadium outing against the Diamondbacks.
"I have to look at it like a regular start," Nova said. "If I start doing anything differently, I'll be in trouble."
Maybe, but the Yankees are looking for different results from the right-hander, who went 16-4 in 2011 but has been in a tailspin since last July.
Nova's disappointing first start of this season — when he gave up four runs in just 4 2/3 innings — followed a terrible last few months of 2012. In his final 13 games a year ago, Nova went 3-6 with a 6.38 ERA and was left off the Yankees' postseason roster.
Originally scheduled to start last Wednesday's eventual rainout in Cleveland, Nova had his turn passed over in favor of Phil Hughes on Thursday. When that game was washed out as well, Hughes was tabbed to take Andy Pettitte's spot when Pettitte was sidelined with back spasms over the weekend.
Now that Pettitte's next start has been moved to Friday, Nova will get another chance.
"The bottom line is, he's capable of a lot. … He really is," said Cashman, who was at Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, where Curtis Granderson's foundation donated sports equipment to the Coney Island school hit hard by Hurricane Sandy.
The Yankees have not seen much of that from Nova since the first half of last season, when he got off to a 9-2 start.
"He's got a lot of ability, so we're going to continue to have Larry [Rothschild, the team's pitching coach] work with him to tap that potential," Cashman said.
Nova is known for his seemingly endless self-confidence, even after dreadful outings. Still, he admitted it was difficult to miss a start.
"It's tough when you're not pitching good and you don't get a chance to go out there for a lot of days," Nova said. "It's a little bit frustrating."
Though he held off David Phelps for the final spot in the Yankees rotation, Nova hardly has a permanent handle on it — especially after Phelps' fantastic performance out of the bullpen Saturday in relief of Hughes.
"It's a hard fight," Nova said. "But I have to fight. I don't think they're worried about me and I don't think they should be worried about me."
Nova said he threw 60 pitches in the bullpen Friday to make up for the lost start, but he knows that's not the best way to stay sharp.
"Unless you're out there facing hitters, it's not the same," Nova said. "But I know I have to get better. Every day when I go out there it seems there's a different pitch not working great. If I can control two pitches, I'll be OK."
Cashman said he was not ready to panic when the Yankees lost four of their first five before reeling off five wins in six games.
"No, because there's not much you can do at this time of year," Cashman said. "It's not like you can wave a magic wand."
If he could, he'd likely make Nova pitch like it's 2011 again.
dan.martin@nypost.com
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