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TAMPA, Fla. -- Alex Rodriguez joked that it has been a long time since he last homered. Although he just missed getting one Sunday, A-Rod thought he was making progress. Rodriguez had a run-scoring double and two RBIs for Class A Tampa, his first extra-base hit during a minor league rehabilitation assignment. Rodriguez was 1 for 3 with a walk as the designated hitter against Bradenton. Coming back from hip surgery in January, he is scheduled to join Double-A Trenton for Mondays Eastern League game at Reading in Pennsylvania. "Im very excited to be going up, absolutely," Rodriguez said. "I think were on schedule. It was a very good week. Things are moving forward." Rodriguez is 3 for 21 (.143) with three RBIs and six strikeouts during his injury rehab. He drove in a run during the fifth with a double to the base of the centre-field fence at Steinbrenner Field. "I did like the way I swung the bat today," Rodriguez said. "That ball felt good off the bat. Id to see me do that back to back days, driving the ball a little more consistently." Rodriguez was credited with a second RBI on an unusual fielders choice. Right fielder Willy Garcia dropped Rodriguezs fly ball with two on, then threw to second for a forceout as the other runner scored from second base. "Thats one thing about A ball, you see things youve never seen before, and Ive never seen that, but that was pretty funny," Rodriguez said. "I think getting the ball in the air for me is probably the most important thing. Just getting the ball up into the air to centre field and the other way, to me, those are good signs." Rodriguez drew a first-inning walk and struck out on a foul tip that ended the third. Rodriguez has played eight games for Tampa and Charleston, both Class A clubs. His rehab assignment can extend through July 21, after which he expects to return to the big leagues. "Thats the target, the 22nd," Rodriguez said, looking ahead to the Yankees game at the Texas Rangers. "Im very much looking forward to that date." Rodriguez said his legs feel fine as he advances to the next rehab step. He worked out on a back field Sunday for 35 minutes, taking 70 swings over eight rounds of batting practice and fielding 25 grounders. "The reports have been OK," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said in New York. "Physically hes doing OK, and just keep rehabbing and trying to lengthen him out, play him a couple of days in a row and see what we have after the 20 days." Rodriguez met Friday in the Tampa with Major League Baseball officials investigating the distribution of performance-enhancing drugs. MLB investigators are looking into the closed anti-aging clinic Biogenesis. Rodriguez has said he used PEDs while with Texas from 2001-03 but has denied using them since. He was linked to Biogenesis in a report in January by Miami New Times. Rodriguez has said that he has been told not to discuss the situation. "Im going to let the due process play out," Rodriguez said. Asked about a report Sunday in the New York Daily News that his lawyers are discussing whether to seek an agreement from MLB on a 150-game suspension rather than face a possible lengthier ban, Rodriguez responded: "I dont know anything about that." Panthers Jerseys 2020 . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. Florida Panthers Store .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. https://www.panthersjerseycheap.com/ . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. Cheap Panthers Jerseys . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. Panthers Jerseys China . Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4. PITTSBURGH -- A year into the job, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivans daily message to his team has not changed. Just as he did when he took over an underachieving group last December, Sullivan wants the Penguins to play the right way.Play smart defensively. Push it up the ice. Dont get caught up trying to make the fancy play. Just take the shot. Lots of them preferably. Repeat as necessary.At the moment, there may be no team in the NHL doing it as well as the defending Stanley Cup champions.Sidney Crosby left briefly after taking a stick to the face then returned to pick up his NHL-leading 21st goal and the Penguins crushed the Arizona Coyotes 7-0 on Monday night for their sixth straight victory.Pittsburgh has outscored the opposition 36-14 during the run, including Crosbys latest highlight reel score when he swatted a puck out of midair to make it 5-0 in the second period.I mean when youre winning, its fun, Crosby said. I think weve done a good job of limiting other teams chances. When youre doing that, youre creating offense and giving yourself a chance, so I think weve done a good job at that.Bryan Rust, Scott Wilson, Trevor Daley, Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino and Justin Schultz also scored for the Penguins, and 13 players recorded at least one point. Matt Murray finished with 32 saves while picking up his third career shutout as Pittsburgh pulled into a first-place tie with the New York Rangers atop the crowded Metropolitan Division.Sids been on a tear and has been playing inspired hockey and I think Genos line has very quietly been productive, Sullivan said. When you get the third and fourth lines doing what they do ... were finding offense throughout our lineup and thats whats helping us win games.Arizonas Mike Smith, the lone bright spot for a team with the fewest victories in the league, stopped 18 of 22 shots before being pulled midway through the second period. The Coyotes are 1-4-3 in their last eight.Theres a standard you have to play to in the NHL whether youre a young guy or a veteran and we didnt play or compete at an NHL level tonight, Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. Thats the score you get and thats where were at today.Crosby received treatmeent between the first and second periods after getting whacked in the mouth by Arizonas Martin Hanzal.dddddddddddd The sellout crowd cheered when the captain returned to the bench about three minutes into the second. The roar grew considerably louder when Crosby stood all alone in front of the Coyotes net and patiently waited for the rebound off Evgeni Malkins slap shot to fall below the crossbar before he took a swing at it, replicating a goal he scored against Dallas earlier this month when he smacked the puck off the back of Stars goaltender Antti Niemi.I think you just kind of hope you have enough time to wait for it to go below the cross bar and have a play at it, Crosby said. Sometimes you put it where you want to. With the goal, I think he was looking for it up in the air, so I got lucky.By then, the matter was already well in hand for Pittsburgh, which improved to 52-23-8 in the regular season since Sullivan replaced Mike Johnston on Dec. 12, 2015. Sullivans arrival galvanized an underachieving club and provided the spark that eventually ended with the Penguins capturing the franchises fourth Stanley Cup last June.Pittsburgh is right back in the thick of it once again behind Crosby, whose remarkable surge coincided with Sullivans promotion. Crosbys 48 goals and 42 assists since Jan. 1, 2016 are the most in the NHL.When our special teams gets back up to where we know they can be, and if we continue to score like this and get great goaltending, Bonino said, then were obviously a tough team.Game notes Louis Domingue filled in after Smith was pulled in the middle of the second period and made nine saves on 12 shots. ... Pittsburgh went 2 for 7 on the power play. The Coyotes were 0 for 3 with the man advantage. ... Arizona scratched Ds Connor Murphy and Kevin Connauton and F Anthony Duclair. ... Pittsburgh scratched D Steve Olesky and C Eric Fehr.UP NEXTCoyotes: Visit Detroit on Tuesday night. Arizona is 0-3-1 in the second game of back-to-backs this season.Penguins: Continue a three-game homestand on Wednesday night against Boston. ' ' '