A-Rod Back for O's

The Yankees open a 3-game series with the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium tonight and have already gotten off on a good foot. Or in this case, quad. Alex Rodriguez will be activated prior to tonight's 7:05 start, giving a much needed boost a slumping lineup.

A-Rod finished up his extended spring training work against the Phillies on Monday and felt good about his swing and his injured quad. His teammates will certainly be glad to see him. The Yankees have dropped 8 of 11 and have scored just 18 runs in those losses. They've been especially bad against left handed pitching without A-Rod and Jorge Posada in the lineup.

Alberto Gonzalez will most likely get sent down to make room on the roster for A-Rod, though jettisoning Shelley Duncan or Morgan Ensberg would make a lot more sense.

The Orioles took 2 of 3 in Baltimore in their April meeting, winning 6-2 and 8-0. The Yankees lone victory was a 7-1 win in the finale of the series.

Mike Mussina (6-3, 3.99) starts tonight against the team he spent his first ten years with. Mussina lost 3 of his first 4 decisions, but has gone 5-0, 2.76 since then. He's 10-6, 4.51 in 23 starts against the Orioles.

Daniel Cabrera, tonight's Orioles starter, is off to one of the best starts of his career. He's 4-1, 3.58 in 9 starts, of which 7 have been quality starts. Cabrera has cut down his walks this season and the league is hitting just .225 against him. He beat the Yankees on April 18, 6-2, down in Baltimore, and is 4-6, 4.81 in 14 career starts against the Pinstripes.

Darrell Rasner faces Garret Olson on Wednesday and Ian Kennedy faces Brian Burres in the series finale on Thursday.