TORONTO — Prior to making an awkward baserunning blunder in the second inning when he was thrown out at second, Alex Rodriguez felt something in his right groin.

And by the ninth inning when it was time to protect a one-run lead, Rodriguez was replaced at third by Ramiro Pena.

“Before the game on the field a little bit,’’ Rodriguez said when asked when the problem surfaced. He didn’t tell Joe Girardi until the top of the ninth. “It’s not bad, it’s more so the turf than anything else.’’

Girardi expects his cleanup hitter to play Tuesday night against the Orioles in Baltimore.

“I do, unless he shows up stiff,’’ Girardi said. “He gets a day off tomorrow and there will be plenty of time.’’

Ramiro Pena replaced Rodriguez made a tricky fielding play on Vernon Wells’ grounder leading off the ninth with a jump step.

“We were joking, ‘There would have gone my groin,’ ’’ said Rodriguez, who watched the sure-handed Pena field Alex Gonzalez’ grounder for the final out.