BALTIMORE - Who needs Alex Rodriguez when you have Freddy Garcia?
Garcia made a triumphant return from the disabled list Monday night, leading the Yankees to a 3-2 win over the Orioles that earned them a split of the four-game series at Camden Yards.
Pitching for the first time in 22 days, Garcia tossed six innings of one-run ball, picking up his 11th win of the season. "That's as good as it gets," Joe Girardi said. "He gave us six great innings."
The win moved the Yankees within 1-1/2 games of the Red Sox in the American League East. The two teams will meet for three games at Fenway Park beginning Tuesday night.
Rodriguez is unlikely to be in the lineup, as the third baseman was in New York Monday having his sore left thumb examined by Dr. Melvin Rosenwasser, the team's hand specialist.
An MRI exam revealed no structural damage, but Girardi said A-Rod was "really questionable" for the crucial series in Boston, leaving his availability in doubt.
"It just depends how that thumb responds to the treatment," Girardi said. "He came back and irritated it a little bit more, so we're just going to have to be smart about it."
Derek Jeter was also out of the lineup Monday night, sidelined by a bruised right kneecap after fouling a ball off his leg during the first game on Sunday. Jeter said he could have been used in a pinch Monday night, but hopes to be back in the lineup Tuesday night.
"That's the plan, but I haven't done anything," Jeter said. "We'll see when we get there (Tuesday). It feels a lot better than it did (Sunday)."
Rodriguez jammed his thumb on Aug. 21 in Minnesota, landing awkwardly on his glove as he tried to make a diving stop at third base. He missed the next two games before returning to the lineup Thursday, but he aggravated the injury in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader.
The Yankees' lineup did just enough Monday night without A-Rod, scoring three early runs against Alfredo Simon and letting Garcia and three relievers do the rest.
Mark Teixeira doubled in a run in the first, reaching the 100-RBI mark for the eight straight year, the only current player to have 30 homers and 100 RBI in each of the past eight seasons.
Nick Swisher added to the lead with a two-run homer in the fourth, his sixth longball in the last seven games.
"We do have some guys out, there's no doubt about that," Swisher said. "Obviously when you're in a situation, you want to be the guy to try and step up. Everyone in the lineup is stepping their game up a little bit."
Garcia hadn't started for the Yankees since Aug. 7, spending three weeks on the DL after cutting his right index finger in a kitchen accident. Garcia threw four innings last Monday at Triple-A, but the long layoff didn't affect him Monday night.
The righthander retired 13 of his first 14 batters before Mark Reynolds took him deep with one out in the fifth. Garcia didn't allow another hit, finishing his six innings with only two hits given up and one walk while striking out four.
"Everything was working; I was really happy," Garcia said. "I wasn't pitching for almost three weeks, something like that, but I'm glad to do my job and get a win. We need it."
Baltimore cut the deficit to one in the eighth on J.J. Hardy's home run, the first run allowed by Dave Robertson on the road this year and the first home run given up by the righthander in his last 71 games.
Robertson finished the eighth, then Mariano Rivera closed the game in the ninth for his 34th save of the year and No. 593 of his career.
A-Rod's absence may not have been a factor Monday night, but considering the struggles the Yankee pitching staff has had against the Red Sox this season, the Bombers will need all the runs they can muster over the next three days.
With first place on the line, the Yanks were hoping to have their cleanup hitter ready for the Sox, but that appears to be a longshot.
"With his thumb, we've got to let it heal," Girardi said. "I can't tell you exactly when he's going to be back."