Last night, the Yankees stunned the Orioles to take a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-five ALDS. But it had nothing to do with their highest paid player, Alex Rodridguez. Well, actually it had everythingn to do with him depending on how you look at it.

Yankee skipper, Joe Girardi did what many have been calling for of late: he pulled A-Rod’s struggling bat from the lineup and inserted Raul Ibanez. Long story short in case you missed the game, Ibanez is the reason the Yankees won, providing two late-inning homeruns.

So where does this leave A-Rod for the rest of the series?

Apparently, Kobe Bryant and Rodriguez are good friends and when Kobe found out what happended to A-Rod, he wasn’t too thrilled. He intends on consoling him. Per the AP’s Greg Beacham on Twitter:

Kobe just heard about the Yankees game: “I’m gonna have to call A-Rod, talk him off the ledge.”

— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) October 11, 2012

 And ESPN LA’s Arash Markazi

Kobe on the Yankees finish: “I don’t like that. That’s not good for the chemistry of the team. I’m going to have to call A-Rod.”

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) October 11, 2012

[Dap to SLAM]