From Newsday

Indians' Lee mows down Yankees without A-Rod

A pitcher's duel it was hyped and a pitcher's duel it was. The Indians' Cliff Lee (6-0), right, who already owned a sub-1.00 ERA, lowered it even more by leading the Tribe to a 3-0 victory Wednesday night in the Bronx. Chien-Ming Wang (6-1) suffered his first loss. (Newsday/David L. Pokress / May 7, 2008)

BY ANTHONY RIEBER | anthony.rieber@newsday.com

May 8, 2008

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A night that started with the optimistic sight of Alex Rodriguez prancing around Yankee Stadium in his first baseball workout in two weeks ended with a couple of downers for the Yankees.

The first downer was the 3-0 loss to red-hot Cliff Lee and the Indians. The second was the postgame news that A-Rod, who had hoped to return to the lineup on Wednesday, won't. And can't.

"Wednesday can't come quick enough," A-Rod said after he stretched, jogged, sprinted, fielded and hit during yesterday's batting practice. "I think we're on schedule. That was the goal all along."

The only problem is Rodriguez isn't eligible to come off the disabled list until the next day, May 15, according to the Yankees. Apparently A-Rod wasn't informed that his DL stint doesn't end until that date, and manager Joe Girardi had to check a calendar to make sure when his star third baseman would be eligible to return.

And that wasn't the only intrigue.

Girardi had said before the game that he wasn't 100 percent sure, but he didn't think Rodriguez would need a second MRI on the strained right quadriceps that has sidelined him since April 30.

But after the game, Girardi said he wanted to "clarify" that, saying A-Rod would need an MRI early next week in Tampa before he will be cleared to play in extended spring training games. A-Rod was talking about playing in extended spring training games on Monday and Tuesday in Tampa while the Yankees were playing the Rays in nearby St. Petersburg.

"There's nothing that's happened since, but they want to make sure on the MRI that it's healed enough for him to take the next step," Girardi said. "He will not play in a rehab game before he has an MRI."

This might all be just a couple of miscommunications that won't have any impact on Rodriguez's eventual return. There was no indication the reigning AL MVP had suffered a setback in his first workout day. In fact, he seemed cautiously happy.

"You've got to be smart and not overdo it," Rodriguez said. "I have seven days, so I just have to make sure I budget my time and kind of come in with some momentum at the end."

A-Rod put his running ability at 75 percent. He plans to do some more baseball activities today before heading to Tampa to continue his rehab while the Yankees leave for Detroit to play the Tigers over the weekend.

If all goes well, Rodriguez will play in extended spring training games early next week - after the MRI. In those games, he can bat as many times as the Yankees want him to. He said he did that once before during a DL stint and found it to be a productive way to get his swing back.

The Yankees can use that swing. They were helpless against Lee (6-0, 0.81 ERA), who outdueled Chien-Ming Wang (6-1, 3.12) in a much-ballyhooed battle of unbeatens.

Lee threw seven shutout innings, allowing six hits and no walks with seven strikeouts. The 29-year-old lefthander, who had a 6.29 ERA in an injury-plagued 2007, has walked two batters in 44 2/3 innings.

"He's got it going right now," Girardi said. But not all of the Yankees were as impressed.

"Our offense, we weren't too good, and it starts with me," said Johnny Damon (0-for-4). "We had some pitches to hit. We just didn't hit them."

The Yankees only had two real scoring opportunities against Lee. With two on in the fifth, Lee struck out Morgan Ensberg and retired Jose Molina on a long fly to right.

In the sixth, Lee struck out the Yankees' hottest hitter, Hideki Matsui, with two men on to end the inning.

The Yankees lost on Tuesday to the Indians, 5-3, on David Dellucci's pinch-hit three-run home run off Joba Chamberlain in the eighth inning. They've lost two in a row after a three-game weekend sweep of the Mariners.

Today

Indians at Yankees

1:05 p.m.

TV: YES

Radio: WCBS (880)