Slumping A-Rod expects to break out soon

Alex Rodriguez praised Derek Jeter's performance Sunday, saying of the shortstop "he's been swinging the bat much better of late."

A-Rod's slump, meanwhile, continued pretty much unabated. He went 1-for-4 to finish the Yankees' seven-game trip through Detroit and Arlington 6-for-26.

But Rodriguez, unlike at the beginning of the trip when he said he felt a "disconnect" at the plate, felt better about Sunday.

"Better than the results," he said. "I had a good session today with Kevin Long. Came in early, watched some video, had a good session for about 30 minutes. I'm looking forward to getting back to New York and finishing the season outstanding."

Rodriguez started the season that way, a continuation of spring training when he belted the ball all over Florida in the Grapefruit League. But since missing two games because of an oblique injury in mid-April, it has been a struggle.

Rodriguez, hitting .263 with five homers and 19 RBIs with a .364 on-base percentage and .485 slugging, is 11-for-60 (.183) with one homer in the 16 games since he returned to the lineup. The homer was in his second game back, a grand slam April 23 in Baltimore, part of a six-RBI night.

Rodriguez has said several times in the last two weeks that the brief break and minor injury isn't the reason for his slide. Long said he and Rodriguez watched video of the third baseman from the spring and early in the season to hammer home what he's noticed has been different of late.

"We've been trying to make the adjustment with his leg kick, it's been really high," the Yankees' hitting coach said. "We looked at film and talked about the adjustments we're going to make. He was able to take that out there [Sunday] and that was a big step forward. The thing it affects is his consistency, taking his 'A' swing and being able to get it off. The more he can do that, the better off we're going to be."

Long said the problem with the leg kick has been going on for a week.

"I always tell him, you're quick to make adjustments and this one, for some reason, took a little longer," Long said. "He's a click away from being really, really hot again."

Rodriguez had one hit Sunday but, with the exception of a pop-up his first at-bat, hit the ball hard.

"I was happy with all my swings," A-Rod said. "You wish you got three or four hits, but the bottom line is we won a game. I thought overall, my balance was good, my strike-zone control was good and if I do that, I can do a lot of damage."

And the numbers, for now, are irrelevant.

"I always look at baseball like the stock market," he said. "You don't look at it every day."

A reporter asked: What stock are you?

Rodriguez paused and smiled.

"Google," he said.