A-Rod takes Talbot deep to left-center in the fourth
NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez's home run on Saturday was not going to top Friday's, not even close. The ball sailed past the wall in left-center field and landed in the Indians' bullpen, well shy of his monstrous shot into the the bleachers behind the relievers one night earlier.
On a windy Saturday inside Yankee Stadium where balls flew left, right and seemingly every which way, Rodriguez's solo shot in the fourth was to the point. It backed 6 2/3 masterful innings from Bartolo Colon and carried the Yankees to a 4-0 win over the Indians.
Not all the news was good, as Colon came up limping in the seventh after covering first base on a groundout hit by Shin-Soo Choo and exited with a strained left hamstring.
But with the win, Colon improved to 5-3 and lowered his ERA to 3.10, continuing his 2011 renaissance by giving up just two hits and striking out six. But it may be put on hold for the 38-year-old, who has given the Yankees more than they had any reason to expect when they signed him to a Minor League deal in January.
Curtis Granderson provided Colon with insurance by hitting a solo home run in the sixth, his 20th of the year and third in as many games, this one just like the others in its landing in the second deck in right field.
Rodriguez stepped up two batters later and was hit in the left thigh on Mitch Talbot's first pitch, an 88-mph two-seamer that sent Rodriguez to the ground and Talbot into the dugout after being ejected by home-plate umpire Dan Iassogna. Rodriguez was the eighth Yankees player hit this week, and second against the Indians after Mark Teixeira took one on the back from Fausto Carmona one night earlier.
Indians manager Manny Acta came out to argue the ejection before Rodriguez slowly got up and made his way to first after staying on the ground for several minutes.
Jorge Posada's 11th hit since Sunday drove in Nick Swisher in the seventh to make it 3-0.
David Robertson, who came in for Colon in the seventh, gave up two singles to start the eighth but once again got out of the jam, striking out three consecutive hitters to end the Indians' best chance at a rally.
In the bottom of the eighth, Teixeira added a solo homer off Indians reliever Vinnie Pestano.
Matt Fortuna is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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