1. Alex Rodriguez tied Ted Williams and Willie McCovey on the all-time homer list on Monday night with his 521st. And what always must be brought into focus is that A-Rod does not turn 33 until July. He is still in his prime and not showing any sign of slowing down as a power hitter. Since joining the Yankees in 2004, A-Rod now has 176 homers. Only Bostonâs David Ortiz (178) has more. Ortiz turns 33 in November. He has 267 career homers.
2. The Indians placed closer Joe Borowski on the DL with a triceps injury. And you know how there is that saying that a player doesnât lose his job due to injury, well, I think Borowski is about to lose his job to injury. Cleveland management is aware that Rafael Betancourt and Jensen Lewis had better pure stuff than Borowski, but the Indians just liked how their bullpen played with Borowski in the ninth inning. But they canât kid themselves any more. Borowski is just not good enough to handle this job any more. On Monday night in the Red Sox-Indians game, it was hard to accept that Jonathan Papelbon and Borowski had the same job description. It is like justifying that Jack Nicholson and Pauly Shor are both actors. Betancourt will probably take over as the closer. But keep an eye out for touted prospect Adam Miller, who is currently a starter in the minors, who could possibly be transitioned to the end game.
3. On the subject of players unlikely to get their jobs back, Luis Castillo was dropped to eighth in the lineup with Ryan Church ascending to the No. 2 spot. Castillo has only started as an eighth-place hitter 37 times in his career, just once since 1999. It is the right place for Castillo to hit. But it still â again â underscores how foolhardy it was for the Mets to give him a four-year contract. Castillo is now a gimpy, powerless, eighth-place hitter.
