MLB

HOMER COOKIN’ FOR I-ROD

In two of the three games Pudge Rodriguez has caught with his new team, the Yankees pitching has been terrible – including yesterday. But Rodriguez’s bat helped offset the damage in the Yanks’ 14-9 victory over the Angels.

The former Tiger delivered a monster day at the plate, smacking his first Yankees home run to bust up John Lackey’s shutout. He added a walk and a single, the latter cueing the game-winning rally in the Yankees’ comeback win in The Bronx.

“He’s such a great offensive threat,” Johnny Damon said of Rodriguez, “and he can still catch pretty well too.”

Rodriguez is a 13-time Gold Glove winner, but his offense was what impressed as the Yanks gained a split of the four-game series.

It didn’t start out well for him. In the third inning, Rodriguez grounded out to second, making him 1-for-7 as a Yankee. It also made him 3-for-19 off Lackey in his career – with no homers.

But in the fifth inning, Rodriguez came up against Lackey again, this time with the Yankees down 5-0. It became 5-1 when Rodriguez drilled a 1-1 pitch over the left-field fence for his first Yankees homer.

“It was nice,” Rodriguez said.

The 36-year-old is showing more power recently. Through June 20, he had one homer in 59 games. Since then? He has had five in 26.

Rodriguez walked in the sixth inning against Lackey, then came up to lead off the eighth with the Yankees down 9-8. Facing reliever Scott Shields, Rodriguez ripped a single to left, putting the tying run on. Justin Christian replaced him as a pinch runner, later scoring as part of the Yankees’ six-run Pudge-ignited inning.

Rodriguez has 14 hits in his last 37 at-bats, a .378 clip. And since he was shipped to the Yanks for Kyle Farnsworth, he’s 3-for-9.

“[I’m] just starting to feel good,” he said. “I’m here to contribute. I don’t have to change anything. I’ve got to keep playing the same type of baseball I always played for 18 years and nothing changes. Just go out, just come and be ready every day.”