By Michael Ventura
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — A-Rod is still stuck on 599 home runs and now the Yankees are stuck in second place.
The struggling slugger went hitless Tuesday night in an 8 to loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium, the Bombers' third loss in a row and the fourth in the last five games. The loss, combined with a Tampa Bay Rays victory over the the Minnesota Twins, dropped the Yankees into second place behind the Rays.
A-Rod has been hunting for his 600th homer for more than a week, going 0 for his last 17. During that time, the Yankees have been in near free-fall.
“Right now he’s in a little funk and not getting any hits,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi told the New York Post about his star slugger. “The biggest thing about milestones is sometimes they can get in the way a little bit. You hope that guys don’t think about them too much but this is a pretty big milestone and we’ve got to get through it.”
Meanwhile, maybe the pressure of hitting No. 600 is affecting A-Rod's memory. The Daily News reported that the third-baseman was AWOL for a team photo on Tuesday. A team staffer filled in for A-Rod in the lineup and his face will be added digitally later, the News said.
The three-game slide matches the team's longest losing streak of the season, the Post said.
A-Rod said that despite the slump, he feels good at the plate. He told the News he had a long chat with hitting coach Kevin Long and added that he's "happy" with the way he's been swinging the bat.
