A-rod takes ribbing at 95
TAMPA - The Yankees got a brief jolt Sunday when Alex Rodriguez was drilled in the rib cage by a 95-mph fastball thrown by Detroit’s Brayan Villareal. A-rod grimaced and crumpled to the ground, clutching his side. He was up quickly and, neither he nor Joe Girardi was worried afterward. “Everything good,” Rodriguez said. “Ready to go.”
“He’s OK, the doctor checked him out and he’s fine,” Girardi said. “I expect him back in there on Tuesday.”
Rodriguez did not have X-rays and said he’d be treated only with ice. He gets a day off today because the Yankees have a team-wide off-day with no game scheduled.
ROBERTSON DELIVERS: David Robertson pitched in a game for just the second time this spring, making his first appearance since hurting his foot on the stairs at his home earlier this month. Robertson pitched a scoreless eighth inning and reported no problems with his foot, which Girardi called “a sigh of relief.”
“I was encouraged,” the manager added. “He said he didn’t feel anything in his foot. Obviously, I’ll wait till Tuesday to see what he says. There’s still that little bit of concern, but he hasn’t had any issues for a week or so, so I hope we’re through it.”
Robertson believes he can still build enough arm strength in camp to be ready for the season and so does Girardi. “Hopefully I can get two or three more outings in and really fine-tune my mechanics to where I can get really comfortable,” Robertson said. “I should be able to do it. It’s just a matter of really getting ready.” JETER BLAST: Derek Jeter played five innings in his second game back from an injured left calf and led off with an opposite-field home run off Duane Below and later doubled to left-center. Afterward, he said his calf is fine, but Girardi says he’s going to remain cautious with the captain.
SWISH WATCH: Nick Swisher, out with groin problems, could return to the lineup Tuesday, Girardi said. . . . Mariano Rivera threw a scoreless sixth inning, but gave up a hit for the first time this spring in 62/ innings. Rafael
3 Soriano threw a scoreless seventh. . . . After Sunday’s 1-1 tie with the Tigers, the Yankees optioned INF Ramiro Pena to Triple-a and reassigned OF Colin Curtis, RHP Manny Delcarmen, OF Cole Garner, C Jose Gil and RHP Kevin Whelan to their minor-league camp.