Time for Alex Rodriguez to grab some bench?

playBrett Gardner drives in the tying run in the seventh inning and lifts the Yankees to a 3-2 victory over the Rays with a walk-off home run in the ninth. (1:18)NEW YORK -- The Yankees are on a modest two-game winning streak. The vaunted back end of their bullpen, particularly Dellin Betances, is no doubt making opposing hitters consider opting out of their at-bats. The lineup still isn't hitting much, but it is making the most of the hits it does manage to get. And Masahiro Tanaka, their nominal No. 1 starter, is pitching like an ace again.

But there is an elephant in the room, or more accurately, an anchor in the middle of the Yankees' batting order, and it threatens to drag the ship down…