A-Rod Inspired on Memorial Day

The jeers in Texas didn’t slow A-Rod Monday. If anything, the patriotic Rodriguez appeared more inspired if nothing else on Memorial Day as he returned to Arlington for the first game since admitting earlier in the year that he used steroids while playing for the Rangers.

A-Rod had a memorial day to remember, collecting five hits in an 11-1 rout of his former club. He tied a career high (done four times previously) and set a season high with four RBIs.

“There’s no panic. I know exactly what I'm capable of doing,” Rodriguez told reporters in the postgame press conference. “I'm feeling much better each and every day.”

After dropping two of their last three to Philadelphia to wrap their 10-game homestand, every Yankee seemed back on track in the first game of a three-game set in Texas. Every Bomber in the starting lineup had a hit and the first five in the lineup combined to go 12-for-23 with 11 runs and eight RBIs.

Rangers starter Matt Harrison allowed seven runs, which matched the total runs he had allowed in his previous four starts combined.

Offensively, A-Rod was the story Monday. He singled in the eighth for his fifth hit of the day and was lifted for a pinch runner with the Yankees sporting a 10-0 lead. His first five-hit game since April 2005 raised his batting average 70 points – from .189 to .259.

With A-Rod shouldering the load with the bat, Phil Hughes took care of the rest on the mound for the Bombers. He limited the Rangers to three hits over eight shutout innings, leaving after 101 pitches and eight full innings. It was by far his best start of the season. He had allowed 17 earned runs in 15 2/3 innings since throwing six scoreless innings in his first start of the season April 28 at Detroit.

The weekend series was a disappointment, despite Saturday’s theatrics. The two weekend losses could have easily gone the other way. New York played solid baseball in both defeats. The interleague series didn’t slow he Yanks, though, which is a good sign. They returned to form Monday.

A-Rod has been great. Hughes lived up to the expectation of another start and continues to give the Yankees time to handle nursing Chien-Ming Wang back to full health.

The Bombers donned red caps with stars and stripes through the interlocking NY Monday. They certainly seemed inspired. Whether it was Memorial Day, or the cavernous Ballpark at Arlington, New York started its road trip on a positive.