Rodriguez welcomes his 40s with a HR
Bryant's walk-off shot boosts Cubs over Rockies ● Cardinals stay red hot ● Indians′ skid continues
ARLINGTON, Texas – Alex Rodriguez put up impressive, unexpected numbers as a 39-year-old, and that continued Monday night – the night of his 40th birthday – in the New York Yankees’ 6-2 win over the Texas Rangers.
After hitting his 24th homer of the season – which projects to 40 over 162 games – the DH with the PED-checkered past was asked if he thinks there are “people out there” wondering if he’s playing “clean.”
“I can’t tell you what people are thinking, but I am [clean] and I’m happy about it,” said Rodriguez, who was suspended for the entire 2014 season. “I’m in a good place.”
A-Rod certainly is on the field. His solo shot in the sixth inning, a line drive to rightfield, tied him with Mark Teixeira for the team lead in homers and gave him 59 RBIs, second to Teixeira’s 65.
His club isn’t doing too badly, either. The AL East-leading Yankees (56-42) – who got three hits and a career-best four RBIs from Didi Gregorius and five solid innings from Ivan Nova (who said his right arm felt “fatigued” but that he wasn’t in pain) – moved a season-best 14 games over .500 and improved to an MLB-best 15-5 in July. The Yankees lead the Orioles and Blue Jays by seven games.
With the Yankees leading 3-2 in the sixth, Rodriguez lined a 3-and-1 fastball from lefthander Matt Harrison over the rightfield fence, which allowed him to join Ty Cobb, Rusty Staub and Gary Sheffield as the only players to homer at age 18 and at age 40, according to Elias.
Also according to Elias, he became the oldest Yankee to homer on his birthday. Lou Piniella and Tim Raines, both 37, were the previous record-holders.
Of A-Rod’s 18 hits this month, nine are homers. He’s homered on his birthday an MLB-record six times.
“When you play for a long time, these things [the birthday homers] just add up,” he said before leaving for his birthday celebration. “But it is nice. It is a great gift when you have family here. I’m going to celebrate a little bit with my teammates, my [two] daughters are here. A great win, and the home run is just icing on top.” (Newsday/TNS)
Cubs 9, Rockies 8
Kris Bryant hit a two-run walkoff home run in the bottom of the ninth inning as Chicago rallied past Colorado.
The Rockies had taken an 8-7 lead in the ninth on a two-run home run by Carlos Gonzalez – his second of the game.
But Bryant’s 14th HR, off John Axford (3-4), gave the Cubs the dramatic victory and snapped a three-game skid.
Cardinals 4, Reds 1
Lance Lynn helped St. Louis earn its eighth win in 10 games since the All Star break with a victory over Cincinnati.
Cardinals’ second baseman Kolten Wong provided all the backing Lynn needed with a fourth-inning grand slam.
Royals 9, Indians 4
Eric Hosmer had three hits, including a home run and four RBIs, and Kendrys Morales had three hits and three RBIs as Kansas City routed Cleveland.
Hosmer’s three-run home run in the first inning set the tone, and the Royals rolled over the reeling Indians. Cleveland has lost five in a row and has been outscored 35-9 over the stretch.
Orioles 2, Braves 1 (11)
Matt Wieters led off the bottom of the 11th inning with a home run that gave Baltimore a narrow victory over Atlanta in an interleague duel.
White Sox 10, Red Sox 8
Adam Eaton hit a game-opening triple and collected three hits and a pair of RBIs in his return as Chicago beat Boston in the opener of a four-game series.
The designated hitter, who missed Sunday’s finale in Cleveland with a shoulder injury, tied the game at 7-7 with a double in the sixth and singled in the go-ahead run an inning later.
Colorado trades Tulowitzki to Toronto for Reyes
The Colorado Rockies and traded Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays for Jose Reyes on Monday in an intriguing swap of starting shortstops
The Blue Jays are also sending minor leaguers to Colorado in exchange for Tulowitzki and that veteran reliever LaTroy Hawkins is joining Tulowitzki in Toronto.
Tulowitzki had been considered a potential trade target for teams in need of offense. The 30-yearold has been with the Rockies for the entirety of his career, as Colorado originally drafted him in 2005.
Both players have missed significant time due to injuries in recent seasons. With the Blue Jays, Reyes played in just 93 games in 2013 and 69 so far this year. Tulowitzki played in just 47, 126 and 91 games from 2012-14, respectively.
Tulowitzki, a five-time All-Star, is hitting .305/.353/.478 with 12 home runs and 52 RBIs this season. Reyes, a four-time All-Star, is hitting .285/.322/.385 with four home runs and 16 stolen bases. Hawkins, 42, has a 3.63 ERA in 24 relief appearances.