The questions became a little louder and with more urgency as each at-bat resulted in a strikeout or lazy fly ball.
Was Alex Rodriguez out of gas after four solid months? Did four decades on Earth catch up him?
Rodriguez did very little through six frames Tuesday night against the Twins to answer those questions in a positive light as the slump grew.
Then in the seventh with the bases loaded, one out and the Yankees trailing by three runs, Rodriguez sent a J.R. Graham pitch over the center-field fence that lifted the Yankees to an 8-4 victory in front of 38,007 at Yankee Stadium.