Said Rodriguez about running with no pain: "It's a relief, but I've also been seeing the progression, so it was something that I expected."

Kei Igawa was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make room for today's starter, Ian Kennedy. Igawa gave a statement that was sent via media relations: "I am disappointed that I was not able to produce the results that I wanted, as well as what was expected out of the team. Moving forward, I will continue to work hard to be able to contribute to the team in the future."

Catcher Francisco Cervelli is here and will fly with the team to New York to be examined.

Yankees (20-21) at Tampa Bay Rays (23-17), 4:10 p.m.

Starters: Ian Kennedy (0-2, 8.37) for the Yankees and Scott Kazmir (1-1, 2.70) for the Rays.

Hello, It's Me: Kennedy gets a second chance to make a better impression. He was demoted to the minors on May 4 after recording a horrible 8.37 earned run average in seven starts. The alternative would have been more Kei Igawa. But Kennedy did pitch 7 1/3 shutout innings for Scranton-Wilkes Barre on May 6 (including one hit and eight strikeouts).

Ray of hope: Kazmir makes his third start following a one-month stint on the disabled list. He allowed just three hits with six strikeouts in six shutout innings against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Saturday. Kazmir agreed to a four-year contract worth $28.5 million on Wednesday.

Be back after the Yankees bat in the top of the first inning.

Top of 1st: Kazmir gets a 1-2-3 inning. With the lineup the Yankees have out there, it will be interesting to see what offense they can produce.

Bottom of 1st: Akinori Iwamura leads off with a home run to right. Bad start for Kennedy. Rays 1, Yankees 0.

Top of 2nd: First Yankees baserunner ........ Morgan Ensberg, who walked with two outs. Robinson Cano, fresh off a 4-for-4 night, struck out looking to end the inning.

Bottom of 2nd: 1-2-3 inning for Kennedy, including a strikeout of Eric Hinske.

Top of 3rd: Kazmir is cruising - and looking very good. Another 1-2-3 inning. He picked up his second strikeout of the game, getting Molina.

Bottom of 3rd: Shawn Riggans singles to center to start. Kennedy hits Ben Zobrist. After a good bottom of the second, Kennedy is in trouble. Iwamura walks to load the bases. Even more trouble. Carl Crawford flies out to left, scoring Riggans. B.J. Upton grounds out, runners move up. Kennedy strikes out the dangerous Pena. For a bases loaded situation and no outs, not a bad job by Kennedy. Rays 2, Yankees 0.

Top of 4th: Melky Cabrera gets the Yankees' first hit of the day, a single to left. Jeter grounds out to Evan Longoria, with Melky going to second. Melky was lucky he did not get picked off earlier in the at-bat. Giambi hits a high popup to Riggans in foul territory. Duncan flies out to left.

Bottom of 4th: Two quick outs for Kennedy before Hinske hit a double to right. Hinske, not known for his running, just beat the throw by Duncan. The throw was a little off line. Riggans followed with a two-run home run to deep left. A flat slider straight down the middle of the plate. Rays 4, Yankees 0.

Top of 5th: Ensberg walks to lead. Cano grounds into a fielder's choice. Credit Ensberg for pausing, which got him safely to second and into scoring position. Alberto Gonzalez walks. Molina flew out to center, Ensberg tagged up and made it to third, despite a strong throw by Upton. Damon hits a looper to second and that ends the inning.

Bottom of 5th: Iwamura starts with a double to right. Crawford hits a fly to center and Iwamura tags and goes to third. Upton hits another flyball to center, deep enough to score Iwamura. Rays 5, Yankees 0.

Top of 6th: Jeter gets a one-out single to center, the 2,400th of his career. That's the second hit off Kazmir. Giambi strikes out looking. Giambi hasn't had a good history against Kazmir and it's showing today. Duncan singles to left. Ensberg flies to centerfield as Kazmir passes the 100-pitch count.

Bottom of 6th: Kennedy's out, LaTroy Hawkins is in. Hawkins struck out the side in order. Impressive! Line on Kennedy: five innings, five hits, five earned runs, three strikeouts and one walk, 78 pitches.

Top of 7th: Kazmir is gone. Good start, though. Cano greets reliever Gary Glover with a single. Bobby Abreu, pinch-hitting for Gonalez, fouls out. Molina singles to right, past a diving Pena. Runners at first and second. Damon flies out to left. It's up to Melky to get the Yankees on the scoreboard. Line-drive single to centerfield, scoring Cano. Jeter singles to score Molina. Melky goes to third. That's all for Glover. Lefty Trever Miller is in to face Giambi. Giambi hits a flyball to centerfield. Rays 5, Yankees 2. Line on Kazmir: six innings, three hits, no runs, three strikeouts, three walks.

Bottom of 7th: Jose Veras is in. I thought Hawkins looked real good last inning. Why not have him go out there for another inning? But another good inning for the bullpen. Veras sets the Rays down in order.

Top of 8th: Hideki Matsui bats for Duncan, and Dan Wheeler is in for the Rays. Matsui strikes out. Ensberg strikes out. Cano flies out to left. The bats go quiet again.

Bottom of 8th: Another reliever, this time Edwar Ramirez. The bullpen remains perfect, as Ramirez gets a 1-2-3 inning. Nine up, nine down for the bullpen.

Top of 9th: Troy Percival is in to close it out for the Rays. Abreu strikes out looking. Molina strikes out swinging. All fastballs against Molina, the last one at 91. Damon flies out to left. FINAL: Rays 5, Yankees 2.

Details were scarce, as they were clearly told not to divulge information, but here are a few little things. Mike Mussina said that aside from the fact that they had 40 guys (or so) in a small room, it was as civil/non-contentious as talking things out over drinks at a bar. Yes, they were talking about problems and playing better, but this was not throwing tables or something.

Joe Girardi had no interest in passing along any information, but he did indicate that last night's game brought on the meeting. He said: "Sometimes it's good to collect your thoughts. ... To me, it's always better to sleep on it."

So Hank Steinbrenner saw a victory. He didn't return phone calls, unfortunately, so I have no first-hand comments from him. Mussina had a couple of good lines, though, including this one after someone said he's used to the Yankees beating up on the back end of the division: "We are the back end of the division."

And did being a veteran help given all the things swirling around the team -- meeting/Hank Steinbrenner comments? "Veteran or not, it helps being here eight years and knowing that that stuff happens a lot here. There's huge expectations here. We have our own huge expectations."

And also: "You're certainly not going to go a whole year playing for the Yankees without somebody upstairs talking about you, because that happens. And you're certainly not going to go the whole year without having meetings."

Don't look now but Robinson Cano is batting .350 (14-of-40) in May. And Mussina has won his last five starts with a 2.76 ERA in those games.

Yankees (19-21) at Tampa Bay Rays (23-16), 7:10 p.m.

Starters: Mike Mussina (5-3, 4.36) for the Yankees and James Shields (4-2, 3.14) for the Rays.

Last starts: Shields pitched a one-hit shutout against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Friday. He struck out eight without walking a batter. Mussina has won his last four starts. He beat the Cleveland Indians on Thursday, allowing three runs and four hits in five innings.

Red-hot Rays: The first-place Rays try to extend their franchise-record home winning streak to 12 games tonight.

Be back after the first pitch.

Top of 1st: Shields retires the Yankees in order. Not sure I like Bobby Abreu batting second. Derek Jeter in the third spot is intriguing.

Bottom of 1st: Real nice diving stop of a Carl Crawford hard grounder down the first-base line by Jason Giambi. Perhaps Joe Girardi's pregame meeting did some good. Mussina sends the Rays down, 1-2-3.

Top of 2nd: Shields retired the first five batters, including a strikeout of Hideki Matsui on a backdoor slider. Robinson Cano bounced a groundball up the middle for a single. Melky Cabrera bounced a grounder to first baseman Carlos Pena. Pena tried to get Cano at second base, but he threw the ball into the leftfield, putting runners at second and third. Score that a fielder's choice and an error. Morgan Ensberg grounded out to shortstop. A missed opportunity for the Yankees.

Bottom of 2nd: Pena avoided the shift the Yankees were using on him, grounding the ball to where Morgan Ensberg, who was playing shortstop, should've been. A single for Pena. Evan Longoria grounded into a double play. Cliff Floyd - Yes, Cliff Floyd! - singled past Cano. Dioner Navarro hit a ball off the glove of Derek Jeter. Floyd tried to go to third base, but Cabrera threw him out. Great laser throw by Melky.

Top of 3rd: 1-2-3 inning for Shields, who ended the inning with a strikeout of Abreu.

Bottom of 3rd: Mussina counters with a 1-2-3 inning. He looked good that inning. Nice movement on his pitches, good command.

Top of 4th: Matsui gets a two-out double to left-center. Cano singles up the middle, his second hit of the game, to drive in Matsui. Yankees 1, Rays 0.

Bottom of 4th: Mussina got two quick outs, including a strikeout of Upton. Pena lined a single over Derek Jeter, playing behind second base, and into centerfield. But that was it. Still 1-0.

Top of 5th: Ensberg leads off with a single. Jose Molina sacrifices him to second. Shields got a big strikeout of Johnny Damon with his signature pitch - a changeup. Abreu blooped a double inside the leftfield foul line, scoring Ensberg. Shields struck out Jeter. Yankees 2, Rays 0.

Bottom of 5th: Again, two quick outs for Mussina. Gabe Gross doubled to deep left-center. Jason Bartlett grounded to Giambi, who made a diving stop and flipped to Mussina. Mussina just beat Bartlett, sliding head-first, to the bag.

Top of 6th: Another hit by Cano - a single to center. He's 3 for 3 tonight. Only eight pitches thrown by Shields that inning. We're still 2-0, Yanks.

Bottom of 6th: Nice, quick inning for Mussina. He's giving the Yankees exactly what they needed tonight - 7 or more innings.

Top of 7th: Ensberg draws a leadoff walk. Molina again sacrifices Ensberg to second base. Damons grounds out, 5-3. Abreu also grounded out.

Bottom of 7th: Longoria drew a one-out walk. That was it for Mussina, who pitched very well. Cliff Floyd followed with a single against the new pitcher - Ross Ohlendorf. Dioner Navarro singles to center to score Longoria. But Gross lined to Jeter, who flipped to Cano to double off Floyd. Very big play to get out of the jam. Line on Mussina: 6.1 innings, five hits, one earned run, four strikeouts and one walk. Yankees 2, Rays 1.

Top of 8th: Giambi drew a one-out walk and that was all for Shields. Trever Miller relieved and got Matsui to ground into a double play.

Bottom of 8th: Joba is in. He started by striking out Bartlett. Iwamura got a one-out walk, with Joba missing on a 3-2 slider. Joba struck out Crawford and then struck out Upton on a high fastball. We move to the ninth!

Top of 9th: Cano singles to right. He's 4 for 4 tonight. But a strike'em-out, throw'em-out double play leaves the bases empty. Al Reyes is coming in to face Ensberg. Ensberg flies to right. Time to go to Mo.

Bottom of 9th: Cano, playing in short rightfield for the Pena shift, is able to track down Pena's bloop to short center. Longoria goes down swinging. Floyd grounds out to Jeter, 6-3. The Rays' home winning streak, which dates back to April 15, is over. FINAL: Yankees 2, Rays 1.

Lineup shakeup today

Yankees
Damon LF
Abreu RF
Jeter SS
Giambi 1B
Matsui DH
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Ensberg 3B
Molina C

Mussina P

Rays
Iwamura 2B
Crawford LF
Upton CF
Pena 1B
Longoria 3B
Floyd DH
Navarro C
Gross RF
Bartlett SS

Shields RHP

*We've got to forget about all the injuries and start playing our butts off.

*The bottom line is that the team is not playing the way it is capable of playing. These players are being paid a lot of money and they had better decide for themselves to earn that money.

*We have good professional hitters and I have a lot of faith in them. I'm not saying they are not giving the effort, but they need to be playing harder.

*(They've) got to start playing the way the Rays are playing. (The Yankees) need to start treating it like when they were younger players and going after that big contract, like they're in (Triple-A) and trying to make the majors. That's the kind of attitude and fire the players have to have.

*There's no question we need to turn it around and we have the talent to turn it around. We've got the team in place, and now they just have to go out and do it. This is going to get turned around. If it's not turned around this year, then it will be turned around next year, by force if we have too.

Hideki Matsui hit a solo home run off Troy Percival with one out in the ninth, a homer that tied the game and sent it into extra innings. Joe Girardi said afterwards that he thought then: "You feel like today's the day you're coming back. Today's the day we're getting the comeback win."

But it was not. The Yankees are 0-19 when trailing after eight innings. They are also 19-0 when leading after eight. Last night was not the night they reversed the trend.

Rivera gave up a leadoff single to Cliff Floyd to begin the 11th, a hard-hit grounder to rightfield. The Rays pinch-ran Jonny Gomes, who stole second. Gomes scored on a single to centerfield by Gabe Gross. “I didn’t do my job,” Rivera said afterwards.
That sentiment is one that Rivera has not had to utter all year.
“He doesn’t do it very often,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of Rivera losing a game. “It kind of shocks you when it happens.”

The bigger problem is the Yankees' lack of offense. They've scored a total of two runs in the past two games. That's not a recipe for victory.

Goose Gossage, who had some critical comments about Joba Chamberlain's emotional reactions on the mound, called Joba today to give Joba his side. They're cool now, no hard feelings.

Otherwise, not too much from pre-game. Pretty quiet for once. Joe Girardi caught Andrew Brackman -- who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. That's about all the excitement.

Hard to imagine, but the Rays have won 14 of 19 overall and are a half game behind Boston in the East. Here is tonight's lineup.

Yankees
Damon dh
Jeter ss
Abreu rf
Matsui lf
Giambi 1b
Cabrera cf
Cano 2b
Gonzalez 3b
Molina c
Wang RHP

Rays
Iwamura 2b
Crawford lf
Upton cf
Pena 1b
Longoria 3b
Floyd dh
Hinske rf
Navarro c
Bartlett ss
Jackson RHP

Will be back after the Yankees bat.

Top of 1st: Damon led off the game with an infield single, but Jeter and Abreu struck out and Matsui lined out to first.

Bottom of 1st: It was a relatively easy inning for Wang. His sinker was working early as he got Iwamura and Crawford to ground out to Cano. After walking Upton, he struck out Pena.

Top of 2nd: The Yankees had something going as Giambi and Melky had back-to-back singles to start the inning, but with runners on first and third and one out, Gonzalez grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. Talk about a rally killer.

Bottom of 2nd: Matsui made a nice basket catch on a ball hit by Longoria. Not much else happened. Cliff Floyd (remember him?) walked and was erased as Hinske grounded into a double play.

Top of 3rd: The Yanks go down in order. Molina grounded out, Damon struck out and Jeter flied out.

Bottom of 3rd: Wang worked in and out of trouble. He allowed singles to Navarro (who was erased on a Bartlett dp) and Iwamura and walked Crawford before getting Upton to fly out to deep center. Still no score.

Top of 4th: It appears the Yankees are still in their hitting slump. Abreu grounded out to second (though he hit the ball hard); Matsui flied out to center, Giambi walked and Melky struck out. Boy, do they miss A-Rod.

Bottom of 4th: Those pesky Rays got on the board after Pena led off with a double and scored on a single by Hinske. Wang had two strikes on Hinske (with two outs in the inning) but he couldn’t finish him off. Rays 1, Yankees 0.

Top of 5th: Just like Garza last night, the Yankees are making Jackson look like an All-Star. Cano, Gonzalez and Molina go down in order.

Bottom of 5th: Cano made a nice play getting to a ball that Upton hit as the Rays are retired in order.

Top of 6th: Ok, let’s face it. The Rays have got the Yankees’ number. Following a one-out triple by Jeter, Abreu grounded out and Matsui popped out to short to end the inning and the Yankees wasted a great opportunity to score. By the way, Jeter’s hit should have only been a single, but Hinske was trying to make SportsCenter as he went for a foolish diving catch. What a dope.

Bottom of 6th: Too bad the Yankees can’t score. They are wasting a good performance from Wang. He allowed a cheap single to Floyd in the inning. That’s it.

Top of 7th: The Yankees had a runner on third with two outs, but Shelley Duncan, who hit for Gonzalez, was caught looking at strike three to end the inning.

Bottom of 7th: Wang allowed just a single to Iwamura in the inning. He is at 101 pitches.

Top of 8th: Dan Wheeler came in for Jackson (five hits with five strikeouts and one walk in seven scoreless innings) and set down the Yanks in order, striking out two. This is not looking good. One more inning to go for the Yankees. Still 1-0, Rays.

Bottom of 8th: Joba came in for Wang (1 run on seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts in seven innings) and pitched in and out of trouble. He allowed a one out walk to Pena and a single to Longoria before getting the slow-footed Floyd to ground out into a double play.

Top of 9th: Matsui homered (much to the relief of the Yankees) off 37-year-old closer Troy Percival to tie the game at 1. Percival was going for his 334th career save. He is fourth on the active saves list, behind Trevor Hoffman (530), Rivera (453) and Billy Wagner (365). Yankees 1, Rays 1.

Bottom of 9th: Kyle Farnsworth entered the inning and issued a walk to Navarro before getting Iwamura to fly out to Matsui.

Top of 10th: Not much for the Yankees in extra innings as Ensberg, Molina and Damon are retired in order. Looks like Rivera is coming in to pitch the bottom half of the 10th.

Bottom of 10th: Rivera kept the Rays in check. He allowed a leadoff single to Crawford, but nothing else.

Top of 11th: The Yankees fail to score in the inning. Matsui, the hero in the ninth, grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Bottom of 11th: I bet no one saw this coming. Rivera gives up a run in a tie game and takes a loss. Unbelievable. Floyd led off the inning with a single. He was lifted for a pinch runner, Gomes, who stole second and scored the game-winner on a single by Gabe Gross. Final: Rays 2, Yanks 1.

"We're aiming for Tuesday at home," Rodriguez said after working out at the team's minor league complex. "You've got to be smart, so it's a good way to go."

The All-Star third baseman is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right quadriceps. He hasn't played since April 28 and is eligible to come off the DL this Thursday.

"Everyday it's much better," he said Tuesday.

Rodriguez took batting practice, fielded grounders and ran in the outfield during his latest workout.

"I ran about 90 percent today," Rodriguez said. "It felt pretty good running. I went from an 80 yesterday to about 90 today."

Rodriguez hasn't started running the bases, which normally is one of the final steps in a rehab program. He will remain in Florida when the Yankees finish a four-games series at Tampa Bay on Thursday, and expects to play third base immediately when he comes off the DL.

"I've got plenty of time down here to do all my work," Rodriguez said. "With our team, it's important for me to be at third base. It's frustrating because I feel like I need to be out there to help the team, but, you've got to listen to the medical staff."

Rodriguez underwent a second MRI exam Monday, which showed improvement but also indicated the injury was not completely healed.

The erratic offense is one reason that they have not managed to maneuver far above the .500 mark. They have been at .500 on 16 different occasions since playing their first game this year, and have spent just three days more than a game above or below .500.

"It's been a battle all year," Pettitte said of the team. "We just, we haven't been able to put it together as a staff."

Pettitte was hard on himself, saying: "It's just pathetic on my part now."

The Yankees badly miss Alex Rodriguez (strained right quadriceps) and Jorge Posada (rotator cuff tendonitis), but any player will tell you they are capable of doing more even without that duo.

From Bobby Abreu: "No panic. We're going to be OK. Sometimes you're fighting as a team, and that's what we're doing right now."

More from Abreu on missing Rodriguez/Posada: "Of course Alex is the best player in the game. We need him, and Posada too, he's our catcher and a good switch-hitter. But we have to just go out there and do our thing. We don't have to sit and wait for them."

From Hideki Matsui: "There's no doubt that you can't substitute or replace a player like Alex or Posada, but it doesn't mean we can't score as a team."

And it is official: The Yankees will have Ian Kennedy start Thursday against the Rays. Said Joe Girardi: "We're going to give him a shot. We felt pretty good about his last outing."

They basically talked about either Kennedy or Kei Igawa starting.

Hopefully that doesn't happen tonight as the Yankees will try to contain the Tampa Bay Rays (21-16), who are suddenly looking like a real team this year. Tampa Bay is five games over .500 for the first time ever and is looking to set a franchise-best 10 straight wins at Tropicana Field. But the Rays are just 2-4 against the Yankees this season, so it won't be easy. Matt Garza (1-1, 4.91 ERA) is going tonight. He gave up a run on six hits over 6 2/3 innings in a loss against Toronto on Wednesday.

Will be back after the Yankees bat.

Top of 1st: The Yankees go down in order. Damon popped out. Jeter grounded out and Abreu struck out.

Bottom of 1st: Pettitte looked good to start the inning. He fanned Iwamura and Crawford and got Upton to ground out to Cano. Where would the Yankees be without him?

Top of 2nd: Not much cooking for the Yankees this inning. Matsui struck out while Giambi and Cabrera popped out.

Bottom of 2nd: Pettitte allowed a bloop RBI single to Navarro as the Rays got on the board. He was on his way to a 1-2-3 inning after retiring Pena and Longoria, but Gomes singled to center and stole second before scoring. It looked like Cabrera could have caught Gomes’ ball to end the inning, but he let it bounce in front of him. Rays 1, Yankees 0.

Top of 3rd: Garza is pitching pretty well. Cano reached on an infield single, but he was erased on a Molina double play. Gonzalez followed with a base hit before Damon popped out to end the inning.

Bottom of 3rd: Pettitte worked around a two-out single to Crawford and a walk to Upton by striking out Pena.

Top of 4th: The Yankees are still not able to get anything done against Garza. Jeter popped out, Abreu flied out and Giambi flied out after a Matsui walk.

Bottom of 4th: Ugly inning for Pettitte. Following a double by Longoria, he served up an RBI single to Gomes, who later scored (with Hinske) on a two-run triple by Bartlett. Then Iwamura followed with a single. Four runs on five hits (Ughh!) Rays 5, Yankees 0.

Top of 5th: The Yankees go away quietly. Cabrera led off with a single, but Cano lined out to short and Molina grounded into a double play.

Bottom of 5th: This was not one of Pettitte’s better outings. He didn’t come out for the fifth after allowing five runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Chris Britton came in on relief and walked Longoria, who scored on a base hit by Navorro. Rays 6, Yankees 0.

Top of 6th: The Yankees had first and second with one out on singles by Gonzalez and Jeter, but Abreu grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Bottom of 6th: Ok, something to cheer about. The Yankees kept the Rays off the board. Yippey!

Top of 7th: This is getting hard to watch. The Yankees have just five hits against Garza. Matsui struck out while Cabrera and Cano lined out.

Bottom of 7th: The Rays got another run, making a Yankee comeback highly improbable. Jose Veras replaced Britton to start the inning and allowed a run-scoring ground out to Hinske. Gomes reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring. Rays 7, Yankees 0.

Top of 8th: Attention readers, the Yankees have finally scored a run. It only took Garza to leave the game. Molina doubled off Gary Glover and later scored on Damon’s ground out. Garza, by the way, had his best outing of the year after scattering five hits while striking out three and walking one in seven scoreless innings. He threw 108 pitches, 68 for strikes. Rays 7, Yankees 1.

Bottom of 8th: Veras gave up singles to Iwamura and Pena before Edwar Ramirez came on and struck out Longoria to end the inning. Ok, last chance for the Yanks. Matsui, Giambi and Cabrera are up.

Top of 9th: This one is over. Trever Miller replaced Glover and worked a 1-2-3 inning. Matsui struck out, while Giambi and Cabrera flied out. Final: Rays 7, Yankees 1.

By KAT O’BRIEN
Kat.OBrien@Newsday.com

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – An MRI today on Alex Rodriguez’s strained right quadriceps muscle showed that the muscle is still not completely healed, and he will not be able to come off the disabled list when eligible on Thursday.
“I don’t see him playing this week,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said after hearing the results.
Rodriguez initially injured his quad April 20th in Baltimore. He returned to action that Friday, April 25th, in Cleveland, but re-injured it on Monday, April 28th, in Cleveland and was placed on the disabled list April 30th. The Yankees had been hopeful that today’s MRI would be clean, and that he could start playing in rehab games tomorrow.
But the MRI showed the muscle still has some damage. Said Girardi: “He will not play in rehab games, at least not for a couple days. It’s still not where it needs to be.”
The injury has gotten better, or, Girardi said, they would shut him down completely. Rodriguez will continue to take batting practice and field ground balls at the Yankees’ minor league complex in Tampa. He has not begun to sprint yet.

Igawa out of rotation
Girardi also announced this afternoon that Kei Igawa would not start the next time through the rotation. Igawa made his first major league start of the season on Friday in Detroit. He gave up six earned runs in three innings plus four batters.
“Kei’s in the bullpen tonight,” Girardi said.
Girardi was not ready to announce who will start in Igawa’s place Thursday. He strongly hinted that it will be Ian Kennedy, though. Kennedy was demoted after struggling in the first month of the season. In his lone start at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he allowed one hit and hit one batter in 7 1/3 innings. Kennedy’s start yesterday was rained out and he will pitch a shortened outing tonight.
The rotation for the week was announced as Andy Pettitte tonight, Chien-Ming Wang Tuesday, Mike Mussina Wednesday, undecided (Kennedy) Thursday, Darrell Rasner Friday against the Mets, Pettitte again Saturday and Wang Sunday.

Lineup
Yankees
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Matsui DH
Giambi 1B
Cabrera CF
Cano 2B
Molina C
Gonzalez 3B

Pettitte LHP

Rays
Iwamura 2B
Crawford LF
Upton CF
Pena 1B
Longoria 3B
Gomes DH
Navarro C
Hinske RF
Bartlett SS

Garza RHP