Colon has no answers in 14-9 loss to Yankees

Alex Rodriguez was mired in an 0-for-19 slump and his left hamstring was sore, but there was no way he was going to miss Friday night’s game against the Angels, not with his human get-well card on the mound.

The New York Yankees slugger fattened up on Bartolo Colon again, with two hits against the right-hander that were key to rallies in the second and third innings, and then lined his 29th home run of the season, a two-run shot against Chris Bootcheck in the sixth, to help the Yankees to a 14-9 victory, the Angels’ seventh loss in 10 games.

The Angels, who arrived at their Manhattan hotel at 5 a.m. EDT Friday after a late-night flight from Texas, showed energy at the plate, rallying from deficits of 8-3 and 9-5 to tie the score with a four-run sixth, as Orlando Cabrera (three hits, three runs batted in) and Chone Figgins (two hits, three RBIs) did most of the damage.

But Johnny Damon scored on center fielder Gary Matthews Jr.’s fielding error to break a 9-9 tie in the sixth, and Rodriguez ripped home run No. 493 of his career, which tied him with Lou Gehrig and Fred McGriff for 22nd on baseball’s all-time list, to give the Yankees some breathing room.

The Yankees, who had 19 hits, tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth, on run-scoring singles by Melky Cabrera and Derek Jeter, and they would have scored more if Robinson Cano hadn’t been ruled out for missing third base on Miguel Cairo’s fifth-inning triple, which turned into a single because of Cano’s gaffe.

Rodriguez also doubled against Colon to spark a two-run second and singled sharply to right against Colon to load the bases in the third, a key hit in a six-run rally that gave New York an 8-3 lead. Rodriguez now has a .468 average (22 for 47) with eight home runs and 17 runs batted in against Colon.

Asked afterward if Rodriguez looked like a guy with a strained hamstring, Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said, “Well, I think he needs a couple days off. It didn’t look like he was moving too well. He definitely should take [today] and Sunday off. I think he should get ready for that All-Star game.”

Colon won’t be in San Francisco on Tuesday, but there will be no “break” in his All-Star break, not after giving up seven runs and seven hits in two innings Friday.

Colon, who was 5-0 with a 3.69 earned run average after his first six starts, has gone 1-4 with a 9.07 ERA in eight starts since, giving up 41 earned runs and 68 hits, including 11 homers, in 40 2/3 innings. He is now 6-4 with a 6.44 ERA.

“No days off. I don’t think I deserve a day off,” Colon said through an interpreter. “I need to continue to work starting [today] and do the things that are going to help me help this team in the second half. ... My off days will come after the last out of the season.”

Colon looked strong Friday -- his fastball was around 94 mph -- but speed doesn’t always kill.

“He needs to do a better job of changing speeds and mixing it up more -- I think he leaned a little too much on his fastball,” pitching coach Mike Butcher said. “It’s great to have velocity, but it’s better to have command. He’s able to change speeds on his fastball, and he didn’t do that tonight.”

Colon, who walked Hideki Matsui with the bases loaded and gave up a two-run double to Jorge Posada before being replaced by Darren Oliver in the third, seems perplexed.

“I thought I had really good stuff, I felt really good, and the velocity was there,” he said. “I was surprised the results weren’t there. When I needed to make a pitch, I couldn’t make a pitch.”

Colon has had an even tougher time figuring out Rodriguez, whose big night came with Angels owner Arte Moreno in attendance in Yankee Stadium. Rodriguez can opt out of his contract after this season, and there are already rumors he will sign with the Angels, speculation Rodriguez may have fueled when he seemed to go out of his way to praise the opponent Friday night.

“It just tells you how tough and competitive a team those guys are,” Rodriguez said. “It’s a tribute to Mike Scioscia. They never stop. After six innings, it was 9-9 again, and it was a new game.”

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com