Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez is just one home run away from 600 for his career. Actually, he’s been one home run away from 600 for 37 at-bats now. And he’s unlikely to reach the milestone Sunday.
According to Erik Boland of Newsday, A-Rod is not in the Yankees’ lineup this afternoon against Rays right-hander James Shields despite a tight race at the top of the American League East standings.
Perhaps manager Joe Girardi has noticed that his third baseman is pressing. Rodriguez told the Newark Star-Ledger’s Marc Carig on Saturday that it might take him a while to get that elusive home run, so he’s clearly been bothered by the pressure.
“There’s no question, the way I’m swinging it, it’s probably going to take awhile,” A-Rod said with a laugh. “Everybody get comfortable.”
Rodriguez is 8-for-37 since hitting home run No. 599 on July 22 and his batting average has dropped five points. He has averaged a home run per every 14.5 at-bats for his career and has averaged a long-ball every 23.4 at-bats this season. If this power drought lasts any longer, the coverage could get very annoying.
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- YankeesfanLen - Aug 1, 2010 at 11:28 AM
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Prettygood idea- give it a break. Since id didn’t happen on the road, do it at home vs Toronto tomorrow night.
On the other hand, Shields is a pretty good target for the Yanks generally.
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- John_Michael - Aug 1, 2010 at 3:09 PM
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I blame this on Joba too.
