NEW YORK -- As bad as Alex Rodriguez has been this April, the New York Yankees feel like they need him in the lineup.
A-Rod didn't make it to the end of the Yankees' 8-1 loss Sunday to the Tampa Bay Rays, leaving early because of an oblique issue that had him off getting an MRI exam. He was still a big focus on a team not getting many hits, even though he hasn't been getting many hits himself.