TAMPA — And in the sixth rehab game, Alex Rodriguez made progress.
After going 1-for-12 with four strikeouts in his first five games, Rodriguez looked sharp in yesterday's game at George M. Steinbrenner Field, going 1-for-3 with the first RBI of his rehab stint, as the designated hitter for the Class-A Tampa Yankees.
The controversy-stained star went hitless in his first two at-bats before drilling a sixth-inning single to left field, which scored a go-ahead run, but the optimism inspired by Rodriguez's play on a beautiful afternoon could quickly be forgotten with the scandal surrounding him.
After returning to the field at third base for tonight's game, Rodriguez will be off tomorrow to meet with MLB officials in Tampa regarding its investigation into his alleged involvement with the Biogenesis clinic, its owner, Tony Bosch, and performance-enhancing drugs.
Still, yesterday, for at least one day, Rodriguez gave reason to welcome a return to The Bronx.
"Today, I thought I was pretty explosive," he said. "I thought the ball came off the bat really nice. ... It's almost like golf. You want to come in, cool down, hit some good balls and get a good feeling before you go home."
Rodriguez displayed more patience than he had, also demonstrating vastly improved timing by making contact on six of seven pitches yesterday. On Tuesday, he struck out twice and missed on all but one of his six swings.
The 37-year-old began showing strides before he even reached base, working a full-count in his first at-bat and grounding out to shortstop, against Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Sergio Santos, also on a rehab assignment.
Then, against right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx in the fourth inning, Rodriguez hit a laser right at the second baseman.
"I think the biggest difference was pitch selection," said Rodriguez. "I felt my swing was pretty good [Tuesday], but my pitch selection was poor. [Yesterday], I swung at three strikes and made three good contacts. If I can swing at strikes and be patient and make them pay when they come in my kill zone, that's my goal."
Rodriguez did some fielding drills after the game and plans to play in Tampa at least through Sunday, expecting to increase his game-action to seven innings.
In tomorrow's meeting, Rodriguez is likely to follow the lead of fellow former MVP Ryan Braun, who, according to ESPN, refused to answer any questions during a recent meeting with the league about the Biogenesis case.
howard.kussoy@nypost.com
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