TRENTON — Yes, Orlando Hernandez is 41 years old. Or 45. Or closer to 50. It all depends on which publication you believe.

What isn’t in question, however, is that he still possesses much of the same nastiness he first displayed 12 years ago when he debuted with the Yankees.

The trademark high leg kick is gone, but the dizzying arsenal of pitches and speeds and arm angles still remains, and the Thunder bore witness to his magic last Friday, when the Harrisburg Senators, the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, paid Waterfront Park a visit.

Hernandez faced the meat of the Thunder order in the eighth inning: Dan Brewer, Austin Romine, Corban Joseph and Marcos Vechionacci.

The results? Brewer flew out weakly to center, Romine fanned at a nasty hook, Joseph slapped a single between short and third, and Vechionacci finished the inning with a weak roller to second.

The highlight of his appearance to anyone who was there was the slow-as-syrup eephus pitch he used to start the at-bat against Joseph.

Competing radar guns measured the pitch at somewhere between 46 and 55 miles per hour, an eternity compared the repertoire of Harrisburg’s previous pitcher, Chuck James, whose average change-up average 78 miles per in 2008, his last season in the major leagues.

For Tony Franklin, whose professional career started four decades ago, Friday was the first time he’d seen the eephus, or anything close to it, in game action.

“That’s the first time I’ve seen it when I’ve been involved in a game,” he said. “I’d never seen anybody do it in a game that I’ve participated in. As much I’ve seen it on television, it took me by surprise. It was quite a pitch.”

In 9 1/3 innings this season in the minors, Hernandez has allowed just two runs (one earned) and has fanned a baker’s dozen.

He won four World Series rings over nine major league seasons but hasn’t thrown a pitch in the show for three seasons.

So, after such an extended hiatus, what could possibly push El Duque out of retirement?

“I like baseball,” Hernandez said after Friday’s outing. “What is my reason for staying here? It’s to play baseball. I don’t care if it’s a bus or it’s a plane or whatever. I’m happy with my teammates and am enjoying the time.”

Even though they’re just four wins away from matching their total for all of 2009, the Nationals are still parked firmly in the National League East’s cellar.

With that in mind, there’s probably a good shot Washington calls up Hernandez once rosters expand on Sept. 1.

His addition would immediately give the Nats another drawing card to pair with wunderkind Stephen Strasburg. It also would put him on the same staff as his half-brother, starter Livan Hernandez, who, at 35, isn’t exactly a spring chicken.

Orlando is unsure of a return to the majors this season, but he’s sure as hell going to do everything he can to force Washington’s hand.

If the call doesn’t come, though, he’ll still have been happy for the opportunity.

“I’ll try. I’ll try to come back to major league baseball. It’s my goal, but right now it’s just about helping my teammates,” Hernandez said.

The Thunder topped Harrisburg tonight, 4-1, and there were two obvious shining stars: Dan Brewer and D.J. Mitchell. Brewer's three-run shot gave Trenton the edge it needed, and Mitchell continued his excellent work since the All-Star break.

Brewer credited a lot of his recent success -- he's now 16 of his last 34 (.471/.537/1.184) with 10 RBIs in his last 10 games --to a change hitting coach Frank Menechino made in his stance.

“Ever since the break, Frank and I have kind of evaluated my first half and where my swing was at, We made an adjustment with my stance, and it’s really helping me out, it’s helping me stay shorter."

"My approach mentally, especially, has been a big key. I’ve hit open my entire life, to be honest, and I closed it off and shortened my stride. It felt like I was facing right field (at first). But now, it feels pretty comfortable to me. It’s really helping me stay inside the ball and let my hands work a lot more.”

After Alfredo Aceves, in Trenton for the first of (as he tells it) at least two rehab starts, left, Mitchell entered. The Clemson alum tossed six innings of stellar baseball, and allowed just one unearned run in the process. He got 10 groundouts, six strikeouts, one pickoff and a flyout during his appearance. In summation, that's a 10:1 groundout-to-airout ratio, and it's pretty damn sick.

Here's Mitchell talking about his night:



As referred to earlier, Alfredo Aceves made a rehab appearance. Here's video footage to prove it.





Also, former Yankees hero Orlando Hernandez is now a reliever with Harrisburg. Here's video footage of him facing Brewer and Austin Romine.

It was announced today that Alfredo Aceves, out since May 12 with a bulging disk in his back, will make a rehab appearance in Trenton on Friday against Harrisburg. Before the injury, Aceves, 27, was 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in 10 appearances.

Aceves, who was signed in February 2008 in the same deal that brought Manny Banuelos into the organization, went 2-2 with a 1.80 ERA over seven starts -- including a complete-game shutout -- later that year. He debuted with the Yankees on August 31, 2008.

Add Aceves to Jason Jones and Orlando Hernandez, both of whom are on the Senators' roster, and you've got the recipe for a very interesting weekend set at Waterfront Park.

Two former members of the Yankees organization, one famous and one rather anonymous -- at least to fans of the big club -- will face the Thunder at Waterfront Park this weekend when the Harrisburg Senators come to town.

Orlando Hernandez, a four-time world champion with the Yankees, was activated off of Syracuse's disabled list today and was transferred to Harrisburg's roster. A reliever now, he's fanned nine and walked none in six innings over five appearances.

Jason Jones, who recorded the final out of the Thunder's 2008 Eastern League Championship run, is also on Harrisburg's roster, and could pitch against his old team this series. It all depends on how manager Randy Knorr chooses to plug him into the rotation. If he were to stay on turn, Jones would pitch on the 12th, a day before the Thunder get Harrisburg.

So far this year, Jones, who spent 2009 in the Twins organization, is 2-9 with a 6.63 ERA in stops with Potomac, Syracuse and Harrisburg.