Yankees get win, but Rodriguez is hurting

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez grimaced in pain after rolling his right ankle in a collision at third base. Chien-Ming Wang walked off the mound gingerly with a stiff lower back.

“It was a little scary,” Rodriguez said Tuesday night after New York beat Seattle, 12-3, and boosted its AL wild-card lead to two games over the Mariners and 3 1/2 over Detroit.

Wang smothered Seattle to get his 17th win and tie Boston’s Josh Beckett for the major league lead. Jorge Posada homered twice, and Rodriguez and Bobby Abreu also homered for the Yankees.

When Wang didn’t bend on his first two pitches of the eighth inning, Posada went to the mound and signaled to the dugout.

Yankees Manager Joe Torre said the wait to come back during New York’s seven-run seventh likely contributed to the tightness. Wang said he was confident he’d be ready for his next turn in the rotation.

Rodriguez sounded more concerned. He was hurt in the seventh, when he slid into Adrian Beltre and the third baseman toppled backward onto his right leg. Rodriguez came out at the end of the inning, and postgame X-rays were negative. He wasn’t sure whether he’d be able to play today.