Knee doesn't seem to be slowing A-Rod much

Derek Jeter actually ran on a pool treadmill Saturday, part of the rehabilitation of his right calf injury, down at the Yankees' minor-league complex in Tampa.

Up here at Yankee Stadium, Alex Rodriguez only looked as if he were running through water as he strolled out of the batter's box on his two-run double in the third inning.

Yes, if you're a pessimistic Yankees fan, your takeaway from your club's 8-3 pounding of Colorado is that A-Rod is dealing with an achy right knee. Joe Girardi called it "sore."

If you view your baseball universe more positively, then you'll note that the condition doesn't seem to be hindering A-Rod's game very much.

"I think there are some injuries you can play through and some you can't," Rodriguez said after the game. "And this is one I feel like I can play through."

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that, to his knowledge, A-Rod hasn't undergone any treatment for the condition, which Rodriguez said he first experienced during last Sunday's game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. A-Rod said the knee has been examined by team doctors.

Either way, whereas poor Jeter heals slowly on the disabled list -- taking a hiatus from his precipitous on-field decline -- Rodriguez, one year, one month and one day younger than his frenemy Jeter, remains one of the game's better players.

No, he isn't the best anymore, but as someone who turns 36 next month, he still provides plenty of value.

After going 2-for-3 with an RBI single, a two-run double and a walk, A-Rod has a .421 on-base percentage and a .585 slugging percentage in his last 35 games, totaling 152 plate appearances. For the season, he's at .379 and .517, and his defense at third base has improved from the last few years, according to most of the metrics out there.

"He's been extremely productive, and you don't need home runs in our lineup to drive in runs," Joe Girardi said. "His at-bats have been really, really good. He's finding ways to drive in runs. Sac flies, doubles, singles, whatever it takes . . . He's seeing the ball really good."

Rodriguez has driven in eight runs in the past five games and has 50 RBIs for the season. He has 13 homers through the Yankees' first 75 games, not dramatically off his pace of the previous two seasons, both of which he concluded with 30.

"I've never really worried about the long ball. Those come in bunches," he said.

Of course, even if you buy into that questionable assertion, there's still the reality that the rest of the world cares about his home run count and his quest to pass Barry Bonds as the all-time leader.

That will come with staying on the field. A-Rod already was receiving treatment on his left shoulder when, a week ago Sunday night, he started to break from third base on a sixth-inning wild pitch by the Cubs' Randy Wells. He opted not to try to score, Rodriguez explained Saturday, and when he "pivoted back to third," he said, "I caught a little of my right knee."

He played two of the Yankees' three games in Cincinnati, picking up a pair of hits in each of his starts. On Saturday, after his double, he advanced to third on Robinson Cano's groundout to second and scored on Nick Swisher's sacrifice fly to shallow leftfield, courtesy of a headfirst slide in which he touched the plate with a hand, barely beating the tag .

"I love to play," A-Rod said. "Any time I have an opportunity to play, I'm going to play. I want to try to help the team win each and every day."

He's older and hurting, but far from broken down. Much to the Yankees' relief.