MAYBE Alex Rodri guez needs controversy the way Samson needed hair. Maybe the cone of silence that has enveloped A-Rod away from the field since his return from the DL has muted his bat as well.
JETER’S FIELDING BETTER WITH AGE
Or maybe, just maybe, the combination of missing spring training’s swings that Rodriguez religiously craves plus the daily demands of playing baseball just two months removed from hip surgery have left a residue that’s created a massive slump.
Honestly, it’s not such a surprise that Rodriguez is having difficulty getting into the swing of 2009. It is, however, a shock that he largely had managed to escape notice before last night’s 3-2 loss at the Stadium to the Nationals. His 0-for-3 extended his slide to 3-for-30 over nine games — he’s gotten the ball out of the infield just six times.
Rodriguez went hitless in three tries against starter John Lannan, striking out looking, grounding to third and bouncing to the box. Facing reliever Mike MacDougal in the ninth with one out and the tying run in the person of Brett Gardner on first, then second and then third after two stolen bases, A-Rod walked on a 3-2 pitch before Robinson Cano hit into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play.
“I had one pitch to hit and I fouled it off,” Rodriguez said. “But I wasn’t too upset because we had the hottest hitter on the planet up [10-for-19 with three homers in five games] in Robbie Cano.”
Rodriguez wasn’t too upset to take his base and he’s not too upset with his lack of performance. After an adrenaline-fueled getaway that took flight with a home run on the first pitch he saw upon his return to active duty in Baltimore on May 8 and propelled him to seven homers in 49 at-bats in 15 games, Rodriguez has hit two homers in 79 at-bats in the next 22 games.
“It’s a process; it’s going to take a minute,” Rodriguez said. “My expectations coming into the season were just do the best I can, so I’m not beating myself up and I can’t get overly frustrated.
“I’m doing everything I can.”
A workout zealot and creature of routine if anything but the routine, Rodriguez is doing everything he can to meet the physical demands of playing every day. At the same time, he’s been committed to keeping as low a profile as possible off the field.
Why, he hasn’t even demanded a public apology from David Letterman.
“Everything is different at this time [than usual],” Rodriguez said. “There’s fatigue going out there every day, the repetition of working day in and day out.
“I love to play, but I’m not getting results or helping the team the way I should be, but when I get to the point where my body can bounce back, it’s going to be good.”
Manager Joe Girardi felt good about A-Rod too when he came to the plate with the chance to steal last night’s game after eight sleep-inducing innings.
“I felt good about the at-bat,” Girardi said. “I thought that if he won the game for us, it would be a huge lift for him.”
Instead, he walked the walk of a man coming off injury who’s batting .219.
If A-Rod’s numbers seem fraudulent — we’re talking about this year’s numbers, not the 562 career home runs he smacked with at least a little help from his pharmaceutical friends — the fact is the Yankees are 24-13 with him in the lineup.
Rodriguez can change a game, but the question is whether he can change his image, and in a down year. He’s done much repair work lately, making nice to fans, getting out into the community.
And he’s been avoiding Pages One and Six even as he’s been absent from the Back Page.
Maybe there’s a connection. Or maybe it’s the surgery.