Posada's return restores order as Yankees crush Orioles, 9-1

For the Yankees, the gang's (almost) all here.

Jorge Posada returned to the lineup last night to give the Yankees a first look at their new A-1 batting order.

With Posada installed as the semiregular designated hitter in Nick Johnson's absence and Mark Teixeira back after leaving Tuesday's game with a sore foot, the Yankees got to work early in a stress-free 9-1 win over the Orioles at Yankee Stadium.

Robinson Cano had three hits, including a two-run home run, Nick Swisher had three hits and three RBIs and Curtis Granderson had three hits and two RBIs. Posada chipped in with a hit and walk and had a good test when he scored from first base in the second inning on Granderson's two-run double.

"It was good," Joe Girardi said. "We had big hits from Grandy, we had big hits from Swish. Jorgie walks his first AB and he scores on a double - it's amazing how that happens, a guy coming off a foot injury has to score from first the first time he's on base - but he looked good. Our lineup looked good tonight."

Phil Hughes (7-1) allowed one run in seven innings as the Yankees won their fourth in a row and improved to 5-1 in a stretch of 13 out of 16 games against three of the worst teams in baseball.

The Yankees lead the majors in runs with 301 - and the lineup hasn't been whole for a while. Now, with Granderson and Posada back and seven of the next 10 games against last-place clubs Baltimore and Houston, the Yankees hope they are looking at an extended feel-good period.

"When we have the offense we have and I do what I'm capable of," Hughes said, "we should win games."

Hughes left with an 8-1 lead. He allowed six hits and walked one with seven strikeouts. His ERA dropped to 2.54

The Yankees jumped out against Baltimore starter Brad Bergesen (3-4) in a four-run second inning. Granderson smacked a two-run double to left-centerfield and Swisher had a two-out, two-run, ground-rule double into the Yankees bullpen.

They scored two more in the third and Cano hit a two-run home run in the seventh. It was his 12th of the season.

Posada had been on the DL since May 20 with a fractured foot. He is able to hit and run, but hasn't been cleared to catch yet. That could come in the next few days. But the Yankees have decided to keep Chad Moeller as a third catcher for a while.

Is Francisco Cervelli the new No. 1? Girardi and Posada deflected the uncomfortable question. It was left to Cervelli to provide the most entertaining take:

"We're like two monkeys. I'm the little monkey behind Jorge. I feel blessed to be around this guy. I'm happy because he's back. I love to catch, and I love to see him catch, too."

Regardless of how many games Posada catches, the Yankees are just happy to have his switch-hitting power bat back.

As for Teixeira, he went 0-for-5 but played all nine innings. He had left Tuesday's game in the fourth inning after fouling a ball off his left foot in the first. He said ice and an overnight wrapping job did the trick.

"We've been playing with guys missing from the lineup for a long time now," Swisher said.

Now they aren't. And it shows.