"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.""