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The
New York Yankees
got their slugger back - but now they're hoping they don't have to do without their captain.
The Yankees hope
Derek Jeter
will be back in the lineup Wednesday night to help them shake their longest losing streak of the season as they continue a
three-game series with the surprising
Baltimore Orioles
.
Alex Rodriguez
returned in Tuesday's series opener after missing three weeks with a strained right quadriceps. Rodriguez, who won his third
MVP award last season, homered in the sixth inning for New York's only runs in a 12-2 loss.
Starter
Mike Mussina
recorded just two outs and gave up seven runs - just one of them earned after Jeter committed a two-out throwing error. The
loss was New York's fourth straight and sixth in seven games.
The loss may have been especially costly, as Jeter left in the third inning when he was hit on the left hand with a pitch.
However, x-rays were negative, and he is day-to-day with a bruised hand.
"It'll be fine. Obviously, it doesn't feel good. But I should be all right by tomorrow," Jeter said, his hand wrapped heavily.
"He hit me pretty good. Fortunately, it's not broken."
The Yankees (20-25) can ill afford to lose another key piece of their lineup, as they have scored two or fewer runs in six
of seven games. New York, which was swept in a rain-shortened, two-game series by the Mets over the weekend, is mired in last
place in the AL East, 7 1/2 games behind Boston.
"I'm hoping this is rock-bottom," manager
Joe Girardi
said. "It's an ugly loss and you've just got to put this one aside."
The Orioles (24-20), meanwhile, have won eight of 10 since dropping five in a row.
Adam Jones
had a career-high four hits, including a three-run double in the first, and drove in four runs.
Baltimore was swept in three games in its last trip to Yankee Stadium Sept. 17-19.
On Wednesday,
Garrett Olson
(3-0, 3.47 ERA) will try to lead the Orioles to a series win in his fifth start since being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk
on April 29. He lasted a season-low five innings and yielded three runs on Friday, but still managed to earn a 5-3 win over
Washington.
"Olson learned how to pitch tonight without his best stuff, and I give him a lot of credit, because I don't know whether he
would have been able to do that last year," manager Dave Trembley said. "He competed."
Olson went 1-3 with a 7.79 ERA in seven starts last season. He has never faced the Yankees.
The Yankees counter with
Darrell Rasner
(2-0, 3.00), who had his Friday start against the Mets skipped because of a rainout. Five days later, he will get a shot at
his third win in as many starts since being called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on May 4.
"Anytime you get worked up and don't get a chance to let it out, it's kind of frustrating," Rasner told the Yankees' official
team Web site. "You get ready and get mentally prepared, but it happens."
Rasner won 5-2 at Detroit on May 10, yielding two runs in six innings. He also gave up two runs in six innings in his season
debut against Seattle on May 4.
Rasner has made two previous starts against the Orioles, losing both and earning a 13.50 ERA.
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