The O’s reign on top was short like leprechauns

The Yanks beat the O’s 6-5 in 10 innings to take sole possession of first place in the division. Jorge tied it in the ninth with a solo homer and Swish Dog won it with a sac fly to right an inning later.

A-Rod and Cano combined to go 5-for-8 with two RBI, a run and a walk. They continue to be the heart of the offense, and the former set up the game-winning rally with a double to left.

However, the Yanks really had no business winning this game. The story of the game was that Hughes was terrible again; he gave up all five runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings of work. His line doesn’t include the two blasts to the warning track that Grandy and Swish Dog made incredible catches on and the other fly balls to the outfield.

Phil’s fastball started off pretty good, hitting 90 on three of the first four pitches. Unfortunately, it was sitting in the 80s by the third inning and Markakis’s home run in that frame came on an 86 mph fastball. He got yanked after just 70 pitches and just didn’t look right. His velocity has been down all year, as if you didn’t already know that.

Girardi:

"“I thought he was a little bit better the first two inning…but he’s still not right. It was better stuff than his last two starts.”“He’s gotta pitch to get things right. You can’t just go on a sabbatical. We need to get this kid right.”"

Hughes:

"It goes back to a lack of arm strength. I’m proud of the guys for battling back.It [his fastball] just disappeared…I don’t even know what to say at this point.I feel like I’m bringing nothing to the team right now and it’s a bad feeling. I just got to fight and keep working hard to get it right.I’m working as hard as I can to get things back on track. That’s all I can do."

Russel Martin:

"His bullpen was better coming out of the gates today, then it looked like he got a little fatigued. He pitched better today, it was definitely a step forward for him."

The offense bailed the team out, but it was the bullpen that was the unsung hero of the game. Cy Colon threw three innings of three-hit relief with three Ks and one walk, once again doing a heck of a job in mop-up duty of a crappy Hughes start. Joba then threw 1 2/3 innings of perfect relief in addition to making a huge block of home plate on a wild pitch that Felix Pie tried to score from third on.

Girardi:

"“I thought Joba did a great job of blocking the plate, and that’s the difference in the game.”"

Mo threw the final inning to pick up his 75th career win.

The Yanks will send SuperNova to the mound tomorrow night against Matt Harrison as the Rangers come to town for a three-game set.

LET’S GO YANKS!!!