Girardi won't say if slumping A-Rod will stay in No. 3 lineup spot
With one hit and five strikeouts through nine at-bats in the American League Division Series, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez hasn't been performing like a middle-of-the-order hitter.
It's possible he won't be in that part of the lineup when the best-of-five series against the Baltimore Orioles, which is tied 1-1, resumes Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.
A source told ESPNNewYork.com that the team is "seriously considering" bumping Rodriguez down to the lower portion of the batting order.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi wouldn't guarantee that Rodriguez would remain his No. 3 hitter moving forward.
Asked about Rodriguez, Girardi said, "I think that we're going to do whatever it takes to win this three-game series," referring to the final games of the ALDS in New York. "Nothing that we do will be something that is just a knee-jerk reaction. You know, we talk about different things, and whether it's a pitching change or pitching situations. We know, the great thing about this is I have a great group of guys that's very unselfish, and they really want to win. And that's what we're going to do, what we think is best to win."
Rodriguez was a star performer in the Yankees' run to the 2009 championship, but otherwise he has struggled in the postseason. He went 19-for-52 (.365) with six homers and 18 RBI in 15 postseason games in 2009. In 55 other postseason games in his career, he's gone 51-for-206 (.248) with seven homers and 23 RBI.
