Potential lineup fail?
November 4, 2009, 10:15 am by iYankees · 2 Comments
From Jenny Vrentas (Star-Ledger):
Manager Joe Girardi didn’t say whether Jerry Hairston Jr. will get his second start of the series Wednesday night in right field against Pedro Martinez. Hairston, who has had success against Martinez in his career, got the nod ahead of the struggling Nick Swisher in Game 2. Hairston, who went 1-for-3 with a strikeout against Martinez, said he’d be ready either way.
“I’m always prepared to play,” Hairston said. “If I’m in the lineup, great. If I’m not, I’ll just be ready to go.”
As Vrentas points out, Girardi employed this “maneuver” in Game 2, as he based the decision on a decrepit data sample. Luckily, the move actually worked, with Hairston collecting a key hit against Pedro. However, despite the positive outcome, the lineup change was still faulty in that it did not seem like the best decision for the team. While most would agree that Swisher should have sat that night, allowing him to clear his head, Brett Gardner or Eric Hinske were both better options against the right-handed Pedro, as each had a tool that Hairston did not possess equally.
In Game 6, Nick Swisher should undoubtedly get the start in right field. Compared to the alternatives, whether it’s Gardner, Hinske, or Hairston, Swisher is a superior player and, in terms of his postseason offensive malaise, he has looked better since his benching (2 H, 1 HR, 3 BB). If Girardi really wants to include Hairston’s bat in tonight’s lineup, which I’m not advocating for or promoting, perhaps he could place him in center field. Of course, that, too, will draw the ire of fans who would rather see the defensively superior Brett Gardner manning Melky’s Cabrera’s spacious domain.
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
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Check out what others are saying about this post...[...] UPDATE – Also, though not related to this item, Brett Gardner (CF) and Nick Swisher (RF) are both in tonight’s starting lineup, ending any possible Jerry Hairston speculation. [...]
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[...] Brett Gardner (CF) and Nick Swisher (RF) are both in tonight’s starting lineup, ending any possible Jerry Hairston speculation. [...]
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