CLEVELAND -- We're in the house for the opener of tonight's Yankees-Indians series (it's on YES at 7) and Alex Rodriguez is in the lineup trying for his 600th home run, despite getting hit by a pitch on the hand in his final at-bat yesterday against Kansas City.
"Hand's good, hand's really good," A-Rod said, brushing past reporters inside the Yankees clubhouse at about 4:40 this afternoon.
Some pregame chatter from the Bombers:
---"It's a lot, lot, lot of home runs," manager Joe Girardi said of No. 600. "A lot of production. It's being consistent and staying healthy. It's an amazing accomplishment."
---A-Rod has continued to produce even though he hasn't homered the last three games (he had three RBIs yesterday).
"Usually when you go for it, you don't get it," Girardi said. "It's just going to happen. ... He can't get away from it. People are screaming the flasbulbs are going off. He can't get away from it. But I would bet he'll get one more."
---One issue figures to be how the Yankees get possession of the ball. Girardi said he's hoping it goes into the Yankees' bullpen and joked about A-Rod maybe getting an inside-the-parker to save the club the trouble. It's not going to be a packed house here (probably no more than 25,000 or so). But that's an issue.
---In other Yankees news, Girardi said Dustin Moseley will start Thursday's series finale here instead of Sergio Mitre, who will move to the bullpen. CC Sabathia start Tuesday against Josh Tomlin, making his big-league debut and Wednesday's game is A.J. Burnett vs. Fausto Carmona.
---I chatted with Sabathia before the game about the state of sports in Cleveland for an upcoming column and he had plenty of thoughts on LeBron James' move to Miami
"He made the best decision for him to try to win a championship," Sabathia said. "Teaming up with those two guys (Wade and Bosh), they got a pretty good chance. I'm sure he's aware (that people say his legacy will be stained). and people making a big deal of that. At the end, he wants to win. If you have to have a 1 and a 1A, take that all day."
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
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