A five-game lead in the AL East and a sweep of the Baltimore Orioles have the New York Yankees taking a four-game win streak to the Midwest for a series with the Minnesota Twins. Michael Pineda is 9-6 with a 3.77 ERA and the right-hander gets the start Friday, opposing former Yankee Phil Hughes, who has resurrected as an ace since joining the Twins. Hughes was arguably the best prospect in the Yankee farm system at one point, but the small dimensions of Yankee Stadium made the hurler prone to the long ball.

Even in the spacious Target Field, the Bronx Bombers will be able to hit home runs at will, driving the hanging curveball into the seats. Six players have double-digit home runs heading into the dogs days of the season, led by Mark Teixeira’s 24 and Alex Rodriguez’s 20. More important was the return of Jacoby Ellsbury, who has returned to the leadoff spot and center field, allowing Brett Gardner to move into the two-hole and left field. The two-headed monster at the top of the Yankee order is the best in baseball despite the Pinstripe order boasting just one hitter with a .300 batting average (Ellsbury, who does not qualify because of his time on the DL).

If the Yankees continue to stay atop the AL East, they will so do by giving fans in the bleacher seats souvenirs.

Kelvin Queliz is a New York Yankees writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @iamkelvinq, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on LinkedIn and Google.