I wonder if the Oakland Athletics are regretting making all of those T-shirts now that they seem to have brought out the best in Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod blasted two home runs yesterday against the A's, one of which was a grand slam, his third of the season, as the Yankees cruised to a 6-1 victory. A-Rod is now two slams behind Lou Gehrig for most all-time with 21. He also drove in five of the six runs the Yankees scored, the other coming via Derek Jeter.
A-Rod's slam gave the Yankees nine for the season, which is second most in franchise history for a single season. They have also hit all nine before the All-Star break, something no other team in baseball history has done. Rodriguez is batting 7 for 13 this season with bases loaded and has driven in 24 RBIs. That's more than a third of A-Rod's 67 RBI on the season.This is New York's fourth straight victory as they continue to pull away with the major's best record. Yankee's starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia picked up his 7th consecutive victory, something a Yankees pitcher hasn't accomplished since Roger Clemens won eight straight in 2001. Trevor Cahill took the loss for the A's.
The Yankees and A's have already had a drama filled season when they meet. Athletic's pitcher Dallas Braden became enraged earlier in the season when A-Rod ran across the pitcher's mound, something that is apparently an unwritten no-no in baseball. The incident attracted national media attention and has almost overshadowed the fact that Braden threw a perfect game shortly thereafter. Even though Braden is currently on the DL and won't appear in this series, it must still delight A-Rod to have such a successful game against Oakland.
While the Yankees are trying to distance themselves for the best record in the majors, the A's more worried about making "Get Off My Mound" shirts than they are about winning. Playing in a division that has been dominated by the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels, Oakland might want to start working on their priorities and stop worrying with angering a superstar. After his two blasts last night, A-Rod has now hit 21 at the Coliseum, the most all-time by a visiting player. That might mean it's time for them to get over the Rodriguez/Braden media storm and focus on something new, such as winning.
