A-Rod celebrates 40th birthday in style, City thrash sloppy Indians

New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez celebrates a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. (Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)

AFP/New YorkAlex Rodriguez celebrated his birthday by belting a home run in the New York Yankees’ 6-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Monday and said he’s in a “good place” as he turns 40. The controversial Yankees slugger, back this season from a ban that lasted all of 2014, has been gradually winning back fans turned off by the two doping scandals that have tainted his batting feats. Asked prior to Monday’s game what advice he might give his younger self, A-Rod acknowledged he was in “no position” to give advice to anyone. “There was a point and a time for me that hitting home runs and being a great baseball player was all that mattered,” Rodriguez said. “And I figured that by hitting home runs it would justify whatever behavior I had off the field, and I realise today that it is not that way at all. Hitting home runs does not make a good father, doesn’t make you a good friend, and it certainly doesn’t make you a good teammate, and to me they are important.” Rodriguez has impressed in his comeback season in a way few expected. His solo homer off Texas starting pitcher Matt Harrison was his 24th of the season and 678th of his career and came after he smacked three home runs against Minnesota on Sunday. Rodriguez became just the fourth major leaguer to homer in his teens and his 40s. Although Rodriguez has been reluctant to answer questions about his doping past since spring training in February, he made a glancing reference to it in his comments before the game as he reflected on how his season had unfolded. “I thought April would be my most challenging month and as I started getting more repetition hopefully I would get better, and I think that’s happened,” he said.  “I hope that continues. I am going to continue to work hard and go through my regimen, but it’s also a nice reminder to me that if you play clean and you work hard, that good things can happen.” With another homer and another Yankees win under his belt, he was looking forward to celebrating his birthday with his teammates and his two daughters. “I am in a good place,” Rodriguez said. In Cleveland, it was an ambush as the Indians were pounded 9-4 by the Kansas City Royals.The Royals almost immediately put the Indians in a significant hole and never stopped piling on. Against starting pitcher Cody Anderson, the Royals put two runners on base for Eric Hosmer, who blasted a three-run home run to the bleacher seats in left field for a 3-0 lead four batters into the game. In the second inning, Omar Infante added a second home run, this one a solo shot to the home run porch.The Royals (60-38) weren't done. In the fifth, Hosmer singled home a run and Kendrys Morales followed with a two-run double that made it 7-1 and, with the Indians' recent offensive struggles, for all intents and purposes put the game out of reach.In the top of the seventh, facing relief pitcher Marc Rzepczynski, Lorenzo Cain and Hosmer each singled, setting up an RBI-single to center field by Morales and an RBI-sacrifice fly by Salvador Perez.Anderson (2-2), who was terrific in his first four starts, throwing at least 6 2/3  innings and allowing one or zero runs in each outing, has struggled in his last two. He finished Monday night after 5 2/3  innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits and striking out two.Offensively, the Indians had one great swing, a few missed opportunities and some late production when the game was already all but over.After Hosmer's three-run home run in the first, the Indians threatened to fight back in the bottom half of the inning. Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley each singled, bringing up David Murphy with one out. He flew out to center field, deep enough for Kipnis to try for home plate but not deep enough to out-run Cain's arm, as his throw beat Kipnis there to end the inning.Leading off the second inning, Carlos Santana crushed a pitch by Edinson Volquez (10-5) to the second row of trees in center field for a solo home. The loss was the fifth in a row for the Indians, who fell to 19-31 at home.