Under Buck Showalter the Orioles have become a different team and it showed this afternoon as the O’s beat the Yankees 4-3. A.J. Burnett wasn’t horrible, but wasn’t good enough as he allowed four runs over seven innings for the loss.

Here are some quick highlights:

• The Yankees had a guy with a .331 OBP leading off and a guy with a .395 OBP batting 9th, Derek Jeter and Brett Gardner respectively.
• Alex Rodriguez homered and drove in a pair of runs. That gives him 100 for the season, his 14th season with at least 100 RBI’s and 13th in a row.
• A-Rod is 3-for-6 with a homer and 3 RBI’s since returning from the DL.
• Nick Swisher started and went 0-for-3 with a walk.
• Colin Curtis was activated before the game. He pinch hit and struck out looking to end the game (the pitch was in the opposite batter’s box).
• Brian Matusz held the Yankees to just 3 runs on 5 hits.
• The Orioles’ bullpen held the Yankees hitless over 3 innings.

The Yankees got Alex Rodriguez back today, but his 2-for-5 day wasn’t enough to overcome Phil Hughes‘ poor start as the Yankees lost 7-3 to the Toronto Blue Jays to end their winning streak at eight games.

Here are some highlights:

• Hughes allowed 3 home runs for the second time this season (last time was July 4th also against Toronto).
• With an 0-for-4 day, Derek Jeter is now batting .154 over his last 20 games.
• Nick Swisher, day-to-day with a knee injury, pinch hit and went 0-for-1.
• Austin Kearns, day-to-day with a thumb injury, came in as a defensive replacement in the 9th inning.
• Don’t blame the bottom of the order for this one, Greg Golson and Ramiro Pena combined to go 3-for-6.
• Brett Cecil is now 3-0 with a 2.22 ERA in 4 starts against the Yankees this season.

The Rays also lost so they remain 2.5 games behind the Yankees. Up next are the Baltimore Orioles.

The Yankees have Phil Hughes on the mound this afternoon as they go for the sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays and their 9th consecutive victory overall.

Here are some notes:

• Alex Rodriguez will be activated this afternoon. He will play third and hit cleanup.
• Marcus Thames got the start in right field yesterday when Nick Swisher was scratched because Austin Kearns couldn’t play due to a minor thumb injury. He is day-to-day.
• Swisher and Kearns might be day-to-day, but they aren’t playing this afternoon. On top of that Girardi must be uncomfortable with Thames in right because Greg Golson is getting the start in right field.
• Robinson Cano also has the day off, Ramiro Pena is starting in his place.
• Manger Joe Girardi expects to keep Javier Vazquez in the rotation despite yesterday’s poor start.
• Here is the lineup:
  • Gardner LF
    Jeter SS
    Teixeira 1B
    Rodriguez 3B
    Thames DH
    Posada C
    Granderson CF
    Golson RF
    Pena 2B

Golson won’t help the Yankees much offensively, but he helps give the Yankees one heck of a strong defensive outfield with Brett Gardner in left and Curtis Granderson in right. This is right up there as one of the best defensive outfields Yankee fans have ever seen.

The Yankees won their eighth consecutive game today against the TorontoBlue Jays, and are the hottest team in baseball as the stretch run begins.

Javy Vazquez was less than stellar in his return to the starting rotation today, giving up five runs in four and two thirds innings pitched, the Blue Jays also slugged two home runs.

The bullpen came in and bridged the gap to Mariano Rivera, and as usual, the sandman finished it off. Mo also lowered his ERA to 1.07, which would be a career low if it holds up through the end of the season, pretty amazing for a 40 year old pitcher.

The Yankees offense continued their hot hitting, driving in seven runs on the strength of nine hits.

Robinson Cano and Francisco Cervelli each had multi hit games, and Brett Gardner was on base three times hitting out of the lead-off spot.

But it was Marcus Thames who delivered the big blow in the seventh inning, a two run shot to left-center field, breaking a 5-5 tie and putting the Yanks on top 7-5.

With the win the Yanks move to 86-50 on the season, which is their high water mark for the year, and their eight game winning streak is the longest this year as well.

The win is also significant because the Red Sox lost the first game of a double header with the White Sox today, making them nine and a half games out of first, and possibly putting the nails into the coffin on Boston’s season.

Meanwhile the Yanks extend their lead over the Rays as well, pushing them two games out of first currently, but they still play tonight at Baltimore.

Even more good news for the Bronx Bombers today, as Andy Pettitte threw 50 pitches in a simulated game without aggravating his groin injury. Alex Rodriguez took part in that simulated game and collected two hits, and didn’t experience any setbacks either, he will likely be activated tomorrow.

On a lighter note, Reggie Jackson served as the umpire for the simulated game, wonder how small that strike zone was?

So with reinforcements on the way, and the Yankees performing so well, they have to be considered not only the hottest team in the Majors, but the best team in baseball as the playoffs draw closer with each passing day.

Andy Pettitte threw a simulated game, three innings, this morning and came through feeling great. One of the three batters he faced was Alex Rodriguez, who said he also felt great and could play tomorrow afternoon.

Up next for Pettitte is likely to be a bullpen on Monday and a minor league rehab start on Wednesday. He’s expected to throw 65 pitches in the minor league start. It’s possible he could make two starts, but it is more likely he’ll just make the one and be limited to 75 pitches in his first start back in the majors. That would set Pettitte up to start Monday, September 13 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

A-Rod was good in the batter’s box today, but still isn’t running at 100 percent. He’s probably going to be in the lineup anyway tomorrow, but it will probably be another week or two before he’s completely healthy. Despite the fact that Ramiro Pena and Eduardo Nunez have done well, it’s still a big deal to get him back.

Nick Swisher was actually written into the lineup for this afternoon’s game, but he still isn’t running at 100 percent because of the knee injury he sustained a couple weeks back. He’s day-to-day and available to pinch hit today.

The Yankees have whittled their magic number down to 20 as they go for their 8th win in a row this afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Here are some notes:

• Javier Vazquez gets his rotation spot back today. He was 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in 9 innings during his bullpen demotion.
• Alex Rodriguez is expected back on Sunday, but Eduardo Nunez and to a lesser extent Ramiro Pena have filled in pretty well. Nunez hit .286 with a .724 OPS and Pena hit .286 with a .657 OPS.
• Andy Pettitte is going to throw a simulated game today, one of the batters will be A-Rod.
• Nick Swisher is still day-to-day. He was available for pinch hitting yesterday and could play today.
• Damaso Marte was placed on the 60-day DL this week to make room for Chad Moeller on the 40-man roster. He could be having shoulder surgery soon to repair an inflamed shoulder.
• If you missed it, Alfredo Aceves had a setback the other day and could be done for the season. Back surgery is a possibility for him.

The Yankees have a tough series coming up this weekend, not only because they are facing the Blue Jays, but because they have Ivan Nova, Javier Vazquez, and Phil Hughes on the mound. This will be a big test to see which will be reliable for the playoffs.

Here are some notes:

• Nick Swisher is day-to-day after leaving yesterday’s game with stiffness in his knee.
• Alfredo Aceves suffered a setback yesterday and was scratched from his rehab appearance. This could be it for him this season.
• Yankees amateur scouting director, Damon Oppenheimer, is a candidate for the Diamondback’s GM opening.
• Alex Rodriguez has officially dumped his agent Scott Boras.

That’s all for now. I’ll have some more updates later on today so stay tuned.

Making a much anticipated start, Dallas Braden will take the hill today against Oakland, making his Yankee Stadium debut in front of the ravenous Yankee Stadium crowd.

Braden, LHP from the Oakland Athletics is having a subpar season individually, going 9-9 with a 3.28 ERA.  His stuff isn’t overwhelming, with his fastball topping out at about 90 mph, while also possessing a solid changeup, a slider and curveball.  He also threw the 19th perfect game in MLB history earlier this season against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 9th.

He is unfortunately not known for that perfect game, or his mediocre stuff and season.  He is most known for his run in with Alex Rodriguez.

Just in case some do not know, Dallas Braden and Alex Rodriguez have a history, all stemming from April 22, when Alex ran across “Braden’s mound” to get back to first base.  He broke an unwritten rule, as Braden describes.  Braden took shots at Alex after the game, calling him a prima donna, like that has never been done before.  Alex responded to it as if it were comical, “coming from a guy with a handful of wins.”

After a few days, the story seemed like old news, until Braden once again brought it up.  This time, he went a little bit further with his shots towards Alex, by saying that there will be repercussions for his action.

Via ESPNNewYork: ”There are things that are going to have to happen,” Braden told CSN Bay Area on Wednesday. “Out of respect to my teammates, out of respect to the game. I think he’s probably garnered a new respect for the unwritten rules and the people who hold them close to their game. But I think you’re right, we don’t do much talking in the 209.”

The Yankees had had enough of Braden.  CC Sabathia, today’s starting pitcher went on to say this about Braden back in May in defense of his teammate:

Via NorthJersey.com: “He’s a clown,” Sabathia said of Braden. “Guy says he’s from the 209, what the [bleep] is that? That’s where I’m from and I don’t know what he’s talking about. Two-oh-nine. He needs to just calm down – put that in the paper. That’s just tired.”

The matchup that we have all been waiting for has been dodged twice, the first time back in July because Braden was on the disabled list, and today because Alex is on the disabled list.  So these “things that are going to have to happen” may never happen.  I say “may” because one cannot rule out Braden going after another Yankee player other than Alex Rodriguez.

This afternoons game may be one of the most anticipated games of the 2010 season.  Sabathia vs Braden.  Braden will be stepping onto Yankee Stadiums mound.  One can only hope that the Yankees will force him off their mound as fast as humanly possible.

The Yankees are taking on the A’s again today and might not need as much offense with Phil Hughes on the mound. A strong start today would probably go very far in easing the fear of the playoff rotation.

Here are some notes:

• Alex Rodriguez went through a pregame workout with no problems yesterday. It appears he’s on track to returning September 5th when he’s eligible.
• Lance Berkman made his first of two rehab appearances yesterday and went 2-for-5.
• Alfredo Aceves also made another rehab appearance and allowed a run on two hits in 1.1 innings.

Tomorrow the rosters expand up to 40 players. Aceves and Berkman will likely be activated. Damaso Marte will not be as he’s had setbacks and is still dealing with shoulder issues. Colin Curtis, Jonathan Albaladejo, and Romulo Sanchez are also possibilities to be called up. More will join them when the minor league seasons end.

The Yankees are back in the Bronx for a 10-game homestand starting with a four-game set against the Oakland Athletics today.

Here are some notes:

• Alex Rodriguez will begin taking batting practice today and unless there are any setbacks he’ll be returning to the lineup as soon as he is eligible on September 5th.
• A.J. Burnett will not be skipped in the rotation and will pitch on schedule Wednesday.
• Lance Berkman, injured ankle, will begin a 2-game rehab assignment with the Double-A team tonight. No setbacks are expected, really the only reason he went on the DL was so the Yankees roster wasn’t short handed for a week.
• Here are the pitching matchups:
  • Monday: RHP Trevor Cahill (14-5, 2.43) vs. Dustin Moseley (4-2, 4.53).
  • Tuesday: RHP Vin Mazzaro (6-6, 3.61) vs. RHP Phil Hughes (15-6, 4.12).
  • Wednesday: LHP Brett Anderson (3-5, 3.32) vs. RHP A.J. Burnett (9-12, 5.17).
  • Thursday: LHP Dallas Braden (9-9, 3.28) vs. LHP CC Sabathia (18-5, 3.14).

The Yankees have their work cutout for them the rest of the season. There are 32 games left and only 10 of those games are against teams under-.500. Those games: this week against Oakland and six against Baltimore. The Orioles have been playing much better of late and have been above .500 since hiring Buck Showalter. The good news is that if the Yankees can manage to go .500 the rest of the season, the Red Sox would have to go 22-9 just to tie. That’s still doable for Boston, but it is a tall order. The Yankees and Red Sox have six games left head-to-head.