BOSTON — Maybe A-Rod should have just taken that suspension.
In the fifth inning of Sunday night’s embarrassing 9-2 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park, Alex Rodriguez, who had been nursing a tight left hamstring, was lifted for pinch-hitter Vernon Wells.
It wasn’t the hamstring injury that knocked Rodriguez from the game, though. This latest injury was described as a “tight’’ right calf.
Sounds familiar doesn’t it?
Derek Jeter is out for the season after having played only 17 games and batting .190 because of a series of leg injuries after twice fracturing his left ankle, and now it is A-Rod who is feeling pain in his legs after having played 36 games. Considering A-Rod has already been through two hip surgeries, it’s not surprising that he is dealing with his own set of leg issues.
With 12 games to go, Rodriguez admitted it’s possible he could be sidelined for the stretch run, “but I don’t think so,’’ he said. “I certainly want to come back as soon as possible, but also be cautious with it.’’
Remember, in baseball the legs go first.
He could be out of the picture when the Yankees need him most, beginning Tuesday night in Toronto, the start of a three-game series.
“Calf injuries are tricky and they are very dangerous,’’ A-Rod said. “I’m hoping that I came out of the game before something really bad happened.’’
Two bad legs and three games coming up on turf is not a good combination. Can he handle playing in Toronto?
“We’ll see,’’ A-Rod said. “If I can play, I’ll play.’’
Joe Girardi, not surprisingly, was not in a good mood, discussing the sweep and the latest injury.
Asked about A-Rod’s injury, he said, “Right calf, I guess, so we’ll see what he is like Tuesday.’’
Do you expect to have him in the lineup?
“I have no idea.’’
Rodriguez does not like being in such a precarious position.
“It’s frustrating, especially because I feel so good up there,’’ A-Rod said. “I’ve also missed playing third base. I think it’s important for me to be out there playing third base. I think it makes our team more balanced. I guess the good news is we’re leaving Boston.’’
That’s the only good news — because this was a Boston Massacre.
A-Rod will turn 39 next season. Jeter will turn 40. Getting a leg up on the opponent will not be easy as the team grows older by the second.
Rodriguez, of course, is fighting that 211-game suspension so he might not be around in 2014 anyway.
As for this season, both the Rangers and Rays, the two teams in possession of the wild card at the moment, both lost Sunday, keeping the Yankees three games out of a playoff spot. The Yankees now play the softest part of their schedule. In the final 12 games, nine are against last-place teams.
“We’ve got 12 games to go, there’s no time to be concerned, we’ve got to go,’’ A-Rod said. “You got to play as hard as you can and you never know, crazier things have happened, we just have to worry about getting back on a good winning streak on Tuesday.
“I know we are right in the mix, nothing that a two- or three-game winning streak can’t fix,’’ Rodriguez said. “If we go out and win four of the next five starting on Tuesday I think we are right back into this thing. If you take Boston away over the last two to three weeks, we’ve played really good baseball. Boston has done a number on us, they basically whipped our ass.’’
After sweeping the three-game series, the Red Sox now lead the Yankees by a whopping 12 ¹/₂ games. With 12 games remaining the Yankees officially cannot catch the Red Sox so the AL East race is done for the Yankees, not that they were ever in it.
This was a total AL East annihilation. In this three game series, the Yankees were outscored 22-7. Red Sox Nation has destroyed the Yankee Universe and now A-Rod could be lost.
In so many different ways the Yankees are on their last legs.