The biggest star on the game’s highest profile team is on the bench. Alex Rodriquez, A-Rod, walked into manager Joe Girardi’s office and declared fatigue as a reason to rest on the bench for a few days. With 100 family and personal guests in the stands, the locals were disappointed.

In the wake of the worst batting slump of his career, Yankee pilot Girardi may have considered the move a blessing. A-Rod is in the midst of an 0-15 slump and is batting a measly .212. These are not zillionaire numbers, not all-star numbers and are numbers that would have had lesser players on the bench weeks ago.

In his defense, the Yankee third baseman and cleanup hitter has returned from early season hip surgery. He cited the extra rehabilitation workouts as cause for the fatigue. His batting coach, Kevin Long, indicated that in his eagerness to make contact, Rodriquez has been “reaching” for pitches.

Girardi added; “We just felt that he needs a couple days physically. Is he sore? No, he’s not sore. But, we think he’s a little bit run down and he could recharge his batteries.” Perhaps, A-Rod was summoned into the office rather than volunteered.

In his absence, the Yankees rode Andy Pettite’s strong seven inning pitching to cruise to an easy 5-1 win over the home standing Florida Marlins. A-Rod’s replacement, Angel Berroa, played flawlessly in the field and had a clutch RBI double. In addition to his batting woes, Rodriquez’s defense has also come under recent scrutiny.

With the win, the up-and-down Yankees moved within two games of first place Boston.

In a solid performance from all the Yankees, Pettite received the loudest accolades. The left-hander lowered his ERA to a miniscule 2.35 in another masterful performance. Pettite seemed most proud of his RBI double.

Catcher Jorge Posada and left fielder Johnny Damon also drove in runs.

Tonight’s matchup pits former Marlin A.J Burnett (5-3) against hard-throwing Josh Johnson (6-1). Burnett has had control issues of late and looks to get himself back in form. Johnson has used a dominating fastball to surprise for the Marlins.

In an oddity, there seemed as many Yankee fans as Marlin fans at the game. Miami sports many NY retirees and they show up when the New York teams come to town. This quirk bears testimony to the Yankees status as America’s Baseball Team.