BOSTON — Two homers in consecutive games represents a long-ball orgy for the Yankees, who seemingly are allergic to touching home plate these days.
Yet, on a night when just about everything went wrong in a 4-2 loss Friday night to the Red Sox at Fenway Park, there continue to be signs of life oozing out of Alex Rodriguez’s bat.
After going 3-for-3 with a homer and a walk Wednesday night against the Rangers, Rodriguez launched a massive homer that smashed the light structure above the Green Monster toward center field in the second inning off lefty Henry Owens.
“Guys have track records here, and I do believe we are going to be fine,” said Rodriguez, who homered for the fourth time this year, is batting .194 and is tied for third on the team with eight RBIs.
The homer was Rodriguez’ 3,082nd hit and put him alone at 20th on the all-time list.
Rodriguez and everybody else employed by the Yankees believes better days are coming, but Friday night was the sixth straight game they have scored three or fewer runs.
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Had Starlin Castro run hard out of the batter’s box in the second inning, he might have had a shot at an inside-the-park homer when his sinking line drive skipped by center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. Castro had to stop at third and was then thrown out at the plate attempting to score on Chase Headley’s fly to left.
“He would have been out if he went,” Joe Girardi said of Castro possibly attempting to score on the hit.
Girardi said Aaron Hicks’ left shoulder problem had healed to the point the switch-hitting outfielder was available to play Friday night against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, but the manager didn’t put him in the lineup against the lefty Owens.
“He is a player for me if I need him,” Girardi said of Hicks, who last started on April 22. In that game against the Rays at Yankee Stadium, Hicks injured the shoulder diving for a ball.
He missed four games and appeared as a pinch-runner Wednesday against the Rangers in Texas.
Asked if Hicks would start Sunday night against lefty David Price, Girardi said, “Definitely a possibility.”
Hicks is 4-for-13 (.308) lifetime against Price.
Acquired from the Twins this past winter for catcher John Ryan Murphy, Hicks arrived with a reputation for hitting left-handed pitching.
In the first five games the Yankees faced a lefty Hicks started, but he is batting .067 (1-for-15) against lefties and .091 (2-for-22).
With the Yankees facing a lefty starter for the fifth time in six games, Girardi used Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner on top of the lineup. Ellsbury and Gardner started Friday night’s action hitting .242 (8-for-33) and .182 (4-for-22) against lefties, respectively.
Since the injury was to Hicks’ non-throwing shoulder and Girardi said he was available it was possible Hicks could have served as a defensive replacement for right fielder Carlos Beltran whose lack of range at Fenway’s large right field is a factor.
After facing three lefties in the first 13 games, the Yankees saw seven in the following nine tilts including Friday night.
The Yankees aren’t going to miss having to face David Ortiz 19 times a year after this season which the Red Sox DH says is his last.
“Obviously, we are not going to miss seeing him on the field,” Joe Girardi said of the left-handed hitting Ortiz, who entered Friday night’s action 26th on the all-time home run list with 506 and upped that to 507 with a two-run, game-winning blast in the eighth.
“He has been a good player for a long time is probably the best way to sum it up,’’ Girardi said of Ortiz.
Admitting he wouldn’t have thought Dee Gordon was a candidate to be suspended for 80 games for using PEDs, Joe Girardi said as hard as MLB tries to erase PED use, the game will always have players attempting to get an edge regardless of the rules.
“I don’t think it’s ever going to go away,” Girardi said before Friday night’s game.