With a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, the ejections started flying for the Yankees.

Cameron Maybin went down looking, setting off a chain of events. Aaron Boone was the first Yankee tossed, as it looked like the Yankees skipper was trying to defend Maybin before being tossed himself by home plate umpire Ben May.

While Boone was arguing with May, Brett Gardner began hitting the top of the dugout with a bat, something he's done before to show his displeasure with the umpires. First base umpire Phil Cuzzi ejected Gardner, who then ran out of the dugout to argue.

Earlier this summer, Yankees great Mariano Rivera officially entered the Baseball Hall of Fame, the first member to ever be unanimously inducted. 

On Saturday, the Yankees celebrated Rivera's unanimous induction with a pregame ceremony. Rivera and his family took the field, and the greatest closer of all time took a moment to say thank you.

Today we celebrated Mariano Rivera becoming the first unanimous Hall of Famer. In appreciation for all he's done for the Yankees organization, the Yankees donated $250,000 to the Mariano Rivera Foundation. Mo also threw out the ceremonial first pitch to his son, Mariano Jr. pic.twitter.com/sBj00lLIBC

- New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 17, 2019

The Yankees (82-42, 10.5 GA in AL East) continue their four-game series with the American League Wild Card leading Cleveland Indians (73-50, 1.5 GB in AL Central, 2.0 GA in first Wild Card) on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

The Yankees beat the Indians on Friday night 3-2, thanks to Masahiro Tanaka's 6.1 innings of four hit baseball. The righty struck out two batters and allowed just two runs, good enough to get his ninth win of the season. Aroldis Chapman came in for the close, and now has 34 saves on the season. Gio Urshela led the Yankees' bats, going 3-for-4 from the plate... the team had 10 hits collectively for the game. Aaron Judge had two hits including a double and a walk, showing signs of breaking out of his recent struggles.

The Yankees bounced back to beat the Indians 3-2 on Friday night at Yankee Stadium. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Friday's game...

1) Masahiro Tanaka's night was going relatively smooth until the righty allowed his second home run of the game when Yasiel Puig blasted a solo shot in the top of the seventh inning. Tanaka finished the game with two earned runs, four hits, and two strikeouts over 6.1 innings. Thanks to the bullpen work of Tommy Kahnle, Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman, Tanaka was able to get his ninth win of the season.

The Yankees (81-42, 9.5 GA in AL East) look to rebound against the American League Wild Card leading Cleveland Indians (73-49, 0.5 GB in AL Central, 2.0 GA in first Wild Card) on Friday at 7:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

The Yankees struggled on Thursday night, giving up a season-high 19 runs in a loss to the Indians. Chad Green had his worst start of the season, allowing five earned runs in the first inning including two home runs. Jose Ramirez hit a grand slam, and Jason Kipnis followed up with a solo shot, thus ending Green's start after recording just one out. The rest of the bullpen under-performed as well -- with Jonathan Loaisiga giving up four earned runs over 2.2 innings and Chance Adams giving up five earned runs and 10 hits in 3.2 innings of work. First baseman/designated hitter Mike Ford made his pitching debut in the bottom of the eighth inning, going 2.0 innings and allowing five earned runs on six hits... however, he did get one strikeout to end the top of the ninth inning.

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Aaron Judge left the batters box Thursday night in the first, seventh and ninth innings under identical circumstances: He'd been caught looking all three times as part of an 0-for-5 night.

In the first, umpire Tom Hallion made a pitcher-friendly call, ringing up Judge on a low fastball out of the strike zone. In the seventh Judge took slider in the middle of the zone. In the ninth, it was a fastball inside -- not technically a strike, but perhaps a bit too close to take on 3-2.

Over the past month, Judge's deep slump has been the lone drag on a Yankees offense that has otherwise rolled through the summer. He's the team's best player, but he's batting .148 over his past 21 games, and slugging .370 in the second half.

Mike Tauchman makes for a nice example. "I tell our kids that we have here now, 'Hey, here's a guy who got it done with sweat,"' says Elvis Dominguez.

Dominguez ought to know. Tauchman, one of the best stories to emerge from the Yankees' "Next Man Up" culture in the Bronx this season, was Dominguez's first recruit to Bradley University when the coach took over the program in 2008.

"He had all the intangibles," Dominguez says. "One thing that set him apart was that he outworked everyone. He was never satisfied, wanted to be the best and did everything he could to achieve that. That's tough to find - there are a lot of talented kids out there without that work ethic."

The Yankees were embarrassed by the Indians 19-5 on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Thursday's game...

1) Chad Green had his worst opening performance of the season for the Yankees. After Francisco Lindor and Greg Allen singled to start the game, Green walked Carlos Santana to load the bases. After Yasiel Puig went down swinging, Jose Ramirez hit a grand slam to center, giving the Indians an early 3-0 lead. After a mound visit, Green allowed another home run to Jason Kipnis, ending Green's night with just one out recorded and five earned runs.

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

With the Yankees rolling along toward a division title, fans are naturally turning their thoughts to the playoff rotation. This year, it's a particularly hot topic because the general manager declined to add to it at the trade deadline.

The Yankees insist, both publicly and in private, that they haven't begun to think in earnest about the playoff roster and rotation -- though we can report, as we did in June, that the team is eyeing a Chad Green/Luis Severino game, provided the latter is healthy.

After sweep of lowly Orioles, the Yankees (81-41, 10.0 GA in AL East) start a four-game series against the American League Wild Card leading Cleveland Indians (72-49, 0.5 GB in AL Central, 1.5 GA in first Wild Card) on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. 

Yankees notes

The Yankees are up to a 10-1 overall record this season in extending outings for the bullpen. ... With a win, the Yankees with lock up at 27th straight season with a winning record (1993) and it would be the team's second-fastest time reaching 82 wins in a year. In 1998, the Yankees reached a record of 82-29, that team went on to win the World Series. ... Gio Urshela is hitting at a .488 average over his last 10 games, which includes four doubles, seven homers and 15 RBI. ... Didi Gregorius has 27 RBI in his last 22 games.

The 2019 season has been filled with highs for the Yankees, from DJ LeMahieu's spark at the top of the lineup, to the emergence of Gio Urshela, to Gleyber Torres' leap to stardom, among other storylines.

But it's been a frustrating campaign for Giancarlo Stanton, who's had to sit back and watch as the Yankees have slugged their way to the top of the AL East standings.

Stanton has appeared in just nine games this season, hampered by a myriad of injuries. After playing the first three games of the year against Baltimore, Stanton landed on the IL with a biceps injury. While rehabbing, he also had a shoulder issue and a calf injury that sidelined him further.

Domingo German is the MLB's leader in wins this season, after his latest start against the Orioles gave him his 16th victory. But, with that win, it was worth noting how many innings the 26-year-old has already racked up this season. 

German has pitched 116 innings so far this season, which shatters his career-high in the bigs at 85.2. Back in 2017, he pitched a total 109 innings, but that's it. 

SNY's John Harper spoke to an AL executive to see what the Yankees should do if German hits an inning limit and can't be used in the postseason, but GM Brian Cashman gave the answer we've been looking for on Thursday.

The Yankees have been decimated by injuries this year, with roughly a dozen key players going down. Check back here for the latest updates on the walking wounded.  

10-day IL: Luke Voit, David Hale, Edwin Encarnacion, Aaron Hicks, Jonathan Holder, Stephen Tarpley

60-day IL: Jacoby Ellsbury, Luis Severino, Dellin Betances, Greg Bird, Jordan Montgomery, Miguel Andujar, Giancarlo Stanton

John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Late Wednesday afternoon I was talking to an executive from an American League team about the Yankees and their potential pitching plan for October, when he suggested I take a look at the box score of the Red Sox-Indians game that had been over for about an hour. 

"Boston used seven pitchers and won the game 5-1," the exec said. "Seven pitchers, one run. That's taking the 'opener' strategy to an extreme, but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Yankees try a formula like that in the postseason. 

The Yankees are as hot as any team in baseball, winners of 13 out of 15.

They've also been on an incredible home run pace, particularly against the Orioles. During this week's completed four-game sweep, the Yankees homered nine times, making it a whopping 61 homers against Orioles pitching this season in 19 games. 

But while the Yankees have been on this power-fueled run, slugger Aaron Judge has surprisingly not been a huge part of the Bombers' offensive machine. 

The Yankees defeated the Orioles 6-5 on Wednesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Wednesday's game...

1) J.A. Happ pitched much better compared to his last start, allowing six hits, striking out six, and allowing just two runs over 5.0 innings. This was a bounce back performance for Happ, who gave up six earned runs during his last outing against the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 9. This was his first start since July 19 that he allowed two or less runs.

Gleyber Torres' dominance over the Orioles has been on full display during their current four-game series in the Bronx. During the doubleheader on Monday, three homers left the yard to bring him to 13 on the season against Baltimore. 

But it was on Wednesday afternoon that the young infielder tied a long-time Yankee record. 

After roping a double, Torres became the first Yankee to record 17 extra-base hits against a single opponent since legend Mickey Mantle did it in 1957 against the White Sox. He had 18 extra-base hits that season. 

As the 2019 season delves deeper into August, the Yankees continue to exhaust all options on pitching.

The latest move occurred on Wednesday when they claimed Ryan Dull off waivers from the San Francisco Giants and added the right-handed reliever to their 40-man roster.

To create room, the Yankees designated righthander Brady Lail for assignment.

Yankees southpaw Jordan Montgomery has spent his time rehabbing from his spring 2018 Tommy John surgery.

Now, it's looking like a return is in the near future.

He recently threw a simulated game (2 IP, 35 pitches) and is "getting close to game action," according to manager Aaron Boone.

The Yankees (80-41, 9.0 GA in AL East) are searching for a four-game sweep of the Orioles (39-81) at Yankee Stadium on Thursday at 1:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

The Yankees brought Thairo Estrada up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and he's getting action right away in the ninth hole today while playing second base. ...Aaron Boone gave some positive injury updates, with CC Sabathia the best one. He'll return to the rotation on Sunday after dealing with right knee inflammation. ...Giancarlo Stanton also continues to progress, as he's close to running off the anti-gravity treadmill for the first time. ...Luke Voit was also seen taking grounders and hitting in the cage today. He could move on to Tampa or Scranton soon to continue his rehab. 

CC Sabathia will be activated off the IL and return to the Yankees' starting rotation on Sunday, says manager Aaron Boone. 

Sabathia has been sidelined with right knee inflammation -- an injury that has been reoccuring over the past few seasons -- but he didn't seem to have any issues in his bullpen sessions, which have encouraged the Yankees enough to bring him back. 

Sabathia has been out since July 31, where he got an injection in his knee and then began to rest up. 

The Yankees and Dodgers have both already reached the 80-win mark, with the Yanks recently taking three of four games from the Red Sox before struggling against the Blue Jays while beating the absolute tar out of the tanking Orioles sandwiched around the Toronto series.

Despite annihilating most of their competition, the Yankees still have only the third-best odds to win the World Series, per Bovada.

Aside from the Dodgers, the Astros -- who traded for Zack Greinke on July 31 to add another ace to their starting rotation -- are also ahead of the Yanks.

The Yankees defeated the Orioles 8-3 on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Tuesday's game...

1) Domingo German was tremendous for the Yankees, cruising to his 16th win of the season. The right-hander went 7.0 innings for the Yanks, allowing just two earned runs on five hits. Both of German's earned runs came on solo home runs, but he did a good job of keeping runners off base.  

After sweeping Monday's doubleheader, the Yankees (79-41, 9.0 GA in AL East) look to win their third straight against the Orioles (39-80, 30.5 GB) on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees notes

The Yankees are 15-2 against the Orioles this season. ... The Bombers are 11-2 in the month of August after a 14-11 month of July. ... The Yankees have a whopping .714 winning percentage at Yankee Stadium this season, winning 45 out of 63 home games.

Reinforcements are on the way to the Yankees' bullpen.

Before the Yankees host the Baltimore Orioles at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday, they added a pair of right-handed pitchers to their roster.

While the Yankees moved two left-handed pitchers by designating Joe Mantiply for assignment and releasing Daniel Camarena from the roster, they returned Jonathan Loaisiga off the 60-day injured list and signed Adonis Rosa to a major-league contract via the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

On the verge of surpassing the numbers he notched as a rookie in 2018, Gleyber Torres has avoided anything close to a sophomore slump.

Highlighted by Monday's doubleheader sweep of the Orioles in which his three home runs and seven runs batted in fueled the Yankees' 8-5 and 11-8 wins, Torres continued to tear up Baltimore.

In 16 games against the Orioles, Torres has 13 homers, three doubles and 20 RBI with a slash line of .414/.485/1.138.

Aaron Hicks was confident that his doctor's appointment on Monday would lead to him being able to throw again. Unfortunately, that was shot down after his consultation. 

Hicks has been on the IL with a flexor strain in his throwing elbow, and he has been able to do everything but throw during his rehab process. And according to NJ.com's Brendan Kuty, manager Aaron Boone told reporters yesterday that Hicks still can't start throwing for another two weeks. 

"Hicks is doing really well, but he's two weeks still probably from throwing," Boone said. "Because of where the flexor strain is, being close to the (ulnar collateral ligament), we just don't want to risk anything so we're going to make sure it's completely healed up and probably after another couple weeks he should be good to go." 

The Yankees swept their doubleheader with the Orioles on Monday, thanks to an 11-8 victory in game two. It's the fifth time in six tries that the Bombers have won both games of a twin bill. >> Box Score

Six takeaways from Monday's game two...

1) When Orioles fans fall asleep at night, they're likely to be haunted by nightmares of Gleyber Torres. After going deep in game one, the infielder launched a pair of three-run home runs in game two and now has a staggering 13 home runs against Baltimore this season. Only Lou Gehrig had more against an opponent in one season, when the Iron Horse hit 14 homers against the Indians in 1936. Torres has tortured the Orioles so much that, with his team trailing by five and runners on first and second with two outs in the eighth, manager Brandon Hyde opted to intentionally walk him.

After an 8-5 win vs. the Baltimore Orioles (39-88, 38.6 GB in AL East, 29.5 GB in AL Wild Card) in Game 1 on Monday, the Yankees (78-41, 9 GA in AL East) will look for their second win of the day at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees notes

The Yankees already set MLB records for the most home runs against a single opponent in a season prior to Monday, but added four more home runs in Game 1 of the doubleheader, bringing that total to 56 so far this year. The Yanks also set the record for most at a visiting ballpark in a single season (43) at Camden Yards. ... The Yankees will go with a bullpen effort against the O's in Game 2 and were flawless doing so this season up until Saturday in a 5-4 loss vs. the Blue Jays. ... The Bronx Bombers' four homers in Game 1 came from Didi Gregorius (9), Gleyber Torres (24), Gio Urshela (18) and Cameron Maybin (8). 

Help is on the way.

The Yankees will soon see the return of its ace, Luis Severino. The 25-year-old is on track to face hitters following his next bullpen session, all of which have been positive thus far.

It's obvious that Severino's eventual presence atop the rotation will serve as a major boost. New York starters have pitched to a 4.92 ERA since the All-Star break, 20th in baseball. Despite the inflated number, the Yankees have gone 9-2 since July 31, when they opted not to add a starter via trade.

The Yankees took the first game, 8-5, of this Monday doubleheader against the Orioles at Yankee Stadium. >> Box Score

Six takeaways from Monday's game...

1) James Paxton went six strong innings against the O's, but the long ball was hurting him. He allowed three runs, two of which came from solo homers. Overall, though, he allowed just five hits and two walks while striking out seven over that span. 

Chris Carelli, SNY.TV  Twitter | About Me | Archives

Every Monday, we'll be taking a look at how the Yankees' top prospects (their MLB.com Yankees Top-30 rankings are in parenthesis) are faring.

Deivi Garcia, RHP, Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (No. 1, MLB No. 66) -- ETA 2020

Garcia failed to get through the fifth inning in either of his two starts this past week. Garcia allowed two runs in both contests, walking four and striking out nine batters in 8 1/3 combined innings.

The 2020 New York Yankees schedule was released on Monday, as the 2019 team was taking the field against the Baltimore Orioles in the Bronx. 

The O's are worth mentioning, since that's the spot the new schedule begins. New York's 2020 season begins in Baltimore on March 26. It'll be the second-straight year the Yankees opened their season at Camden Yards. March 26 is the earliest date the Yankees have ever started a season. 

The most famous rivalry in sports against the Red Sox is slated to start its 2020 edition in May from the 8th to the 10th, a weekend series at Yankee Stadium. The two sides will also faceoff in the Bronx in late July (7/24 - 7/26) and again in early September (9/8 - 9/10) as well. 

A week after sweeping the Baltimore Orioles (39-87, 37.5 GB in AL East, 29 GB in AL Wild Card) in a three-game series, the Yankees (77-41, 8.5 GA in AL East) will start a four-game series in New York against the O's, starting with a Monday doubleheader, which begins at 1:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

The Yanks appointed infielder Breyvic Valera as their 26th man ahead of Monday's doubleheader. Valera has appeared in nine games for the Yankees with season and is batting .192 with three RBI in the majors this year. ... The Yankees have beat up the O's as of late. After Baltimore won the first series between the two this season in the Bronx, the Orioles have lost 12-straight games to the Yanks and lost all 10 games they've played against New York at Camden Yards this year. ...  The Yankees already set MLB records for the most home runs against a single opponent in a season (52) and the most at a visiting ballpark (43) vs. Baltimore. ... Gio Urshela will look to continue he excellent pace this season against the O's, he has 17 homers, 61 RBI and is batting .323 in 97 games played on the year. In the Yanks' four-game series against the Blue Jays this past weekend, Urshela had three home runs, 6 RBI and batted .400. 

The Yankees beat the Blue Jays 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre behind Masahiro Tanaka's strong performance. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Sunday's game...

1) Masahiro Tanaka got his eighth win of the season after allowing three hits and striking out four over 8.0 innings. The Yankees have now won 10 out of the last 11 games that Tanaka starts, dating back to June 11 of this season. Tanaka bounced back in a big way after giving up five earned runs and 10 hits in 5.1 innings of work in his last start on August 5 against the Orioles.

The injury bug continues to bite the Yankees, who announced several changes Sunday before facing the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Among the moves, the Yankees transferred outfielder Giancarlo Stanton to the 60-day injured list.

The Yankees also placed left-handed pitcher Stephen Tarpley on the 10-day injured list, while optioning infielder Breyvic Valera to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

The Yankees (76-41, 8.5 GA in AL East) look to even the series against the Blue Jays (49-71) on Sunday at 1:07 p.m. at Rogers Centre.

Yankees notes

The Yanks suffered another loss to Toronto on Saturday, 5-4, on the road. ...Gleyber Torres returns to the lineup after avoiding the IL with his core pain. He did a full workout on the Rogers Centre field before yesterday's game and Aaron Boone noted him being back today. ...In his first game back from the IL, Gary Sanchez launched a solo homer to put the Yanks up early. 

The Yankees fell to the Blue Jays 5-4 on Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Saturday's game...

1) Gary Sanchez made his return from the Injured List with a bang, literally. In a scoreless game in the top of the fourth inning, Sanchez stayed back on a Jacob Waguespack slider, slamming a solo home run to left-center. Sanchez's 25th home run of the season put the Yankees on top 1-0. Overall, Sanchez went 1-4 at the plate with a couple of strikeouts. 

The legend of Mike Tauchman is unlike any other, and it dates back to long before he was hitting home runs for the Yankees. 

The surprising slugger first made a name for himself back at William Fremd high school in Illinois when he intercepted Jimmy Garoppolo, the current San Francisco 49ers quarterback. Not only did he intercept him, Tauchman also played quarterback for his team that game and led William Fremd to victory. 

"It's a cool story," he told the Daily Herald in June, a newspaper based in suburban Chicago. "I don't want to sound like the guy at the bar that struck out Bryce Harper when he was nine years old. Jimmy's really, really good now. I think we both chose the right sports."

The Yankees (76-40, 9.5 GA in AL East) take on the Toronto Blue Jays (48-71, 29.5 GB in AL East ) on Saturday at 3:07 p.m. at Rogers Centre.

Yankees notes

Gary Sanchez returns to the Yankees' lineup in the cleanup spot after spending the last two weeks on the IL with a groin strain. ... Aaron Judge looks to get going at the plate. He is just 3 for his last 20 with one home run. ... Mike Tauchman is in the lineup batting ninth. He is hitting a slash line of .450/.500/1.250 with five home runs, 10 RBIs and seven runs scored in his last five games. 

Yankees GM Brian Cashman reportedly found himself surrounded by police on Friday afternoon. 

According to the New York Post, Cashman was swarmed by police at gas station in Darien, Conn. on Friday afternoon as he was suspected of being a car thief.

Cashman had reported his white Jeep Wrangler stolen last Saturday. The car was later found abandoned in the Bronx, but was not removed from the NYPD's stolen car list. So as the Yankees GM attempted to drive to the Norwalk Police department to have his car processed, that's when he was stopped.

The Yankees fell to the Blue Jays 8-2 on Friday night at Rogers Centre. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Friday's game...

1) J.A. Happ has been very inconsistent all season long for the Yankees, and that was the case once again on Friday. The lefty allowed three homers to Randal Grichuk, Teoscar Hernandez, and Danny Jansen. In total, he allowed six earned runs in five innings. His ERA now sits at 5.48 for the season.

Most teams are content with at least one quality catching option. It's a position where power isn't expected, but certainly welcome if one provides it. Good defense, as well as the ability to work well with pitchers, are pivotal to the positions success.

The Yankees have this in Gary Sanchez, the slugging 26-year-old whose defense has made improvements after disastrous showings in previous seasons. Behind him, both Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka have proved their worth for different reasons.

But it's likely that only one of them will remain with New York beyond this season. While the assumption is that the organization re-signs Romine, drafted by the team in 2007, the decision may not be as simple.

The Yankees (76-39, 10.5 GA in AL East) take on the Toronto Blue Jays (47-71, 30.5 GB in AL East ) on Friday at 7:07 p.m. at Rogers Centre.

Yankees notes

The Yankees have won nine straight games after Thursday's 12-6 win over the Jays. ... Didi Gregorius is 3-6 with a home run in his career off of Blue Jays starter Sean Reid-Foley. ... Gio Urshela is now hitting .323 on the season, following his 3-5 night on Thursday.

It has been nearly two months since Clint Frazier was sent back down to Triple-A, and with the trade deadline over and some more Yankees outfielders hurt, the 24-year-old still finds himself stuck in Scranton. 

The Yankees say it is to work on his defense, and Frazier acknowledges that, but still feels he belongs in the majors. 

"It's crazy that I'm not in the big leagues," Frazier told James Wagner of the New York Times. "It's one of those things where I know I'm not a finished product, but I don't know if anyone is a finished product up there. I think I need to be tested against major league pitching and defense in the outfield in every aspect. But I'm not the one who makes those decisions, so I'm going to continue to help the Scranton RailRiders while I can."

The Yankees have acquired left-handed pitcher Joe Mantiply from the Reds in exchange for cash considerations, the team announced Friday. He will be assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and is not on the team's 40-man roster.

Mantiply, 28, spent the 2017 season with the Yankees organization, appearing in 35 games for Scranton. He went 6-5, posting a 2.83 ERA, allowing 18 walks and striking out 62 hitters over 70 innings. He missed all of 2018 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

The Yankees started off their series against the Blue Jays on the right foot, collecting a TKTK win on Thursday night in Toronto. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Thursday's game...

1) Gio Urshela can't be stopped. The infielder continues to crush the baseball, launching not one but two two-run homers in his first two at-bats of the night. He finished his night 3-for-5 with four RBI and moved his batting average to .323, as he continues to be one of the best storylines of the season thus far. 

The Yankees (75-39, 10.0 GA in AL East) take on the Toronto Blue Jays (47-70, 29.5 GB in AL East ) on Thursday at 7:07 p.m. at Rogers Centre.

Yankees notes

The Yankees have won eight straight games and are now 36 games over .500. ... During their three-game sweep of Baltimore, the Yankees smashed 16 home runs, with at least five in every game. ... Thursday's game will be the Yankees' 10th in the last nine days, and the club doesn't have an off day on the schedule until August 19.

Brett Gardner is the longest-tenured Yankee, and if it's up to him, that streak will continue next season. Currently in his 12th season in pinstripes, Gardner is one of just two players on the active roster who played on the 2009 World Series champion Yankees. The other, CC Sabathia, is ready to hang up his spikes after this season. That doesn't mean that Gardner will follow him into retirement.

"At this point in the season, I expect to be playing next year. Hopefully it's here," Gardner said on Wednesday. "I feel like I'm definitely still capable."

Gardner is still capable. He is hitting for the highest OPS of his career (.818), is fifth on the team in home runs (17) and is on pace to top his career-best home run mark of 21. He's spent a big chunk of the season filling in the middle of the order while the Yankees' top home run hitters have been injured, and Gardner has helped fill the power void.