Just writing that gives me bad mojo…..
Apparently, Girardi doesn’t want to swap A-Rod and Texeira in the lineup, not one article or report has mentioned the possibility. The NY Daily News says that Tex has been taking extra batting practice. It was also noted that most of the switch hitters in the Series are doing poorly, suggesting that the long delays between games, as well as the constant switching back and forth may be making it hard for the switchies to get in a rhythm. Makes sense to me.
So, starting with that, Girardi ought to switch the two hitters, to ensure that A-Rod gets as many at-bats as possible. I noticed it Monday night in the first inning, when Texeira failed to even advance Damon, let alone get a hit. I thought that the situation would arise later in the game when an inning would be extended or ended in Texeira’s hands. I didn’t think it would be the ninth, as the tying run, but it was, and Texeira looked terrible in failing to get the game into A-Rod’s hands. The time has come to make the change.
As for Pettitte going tonight, well, that decision was made when the Yankees went with Sabathia in Game Four. Once you do that, there’s no going back. They messed with Chamberlain until he completely lost command of his pitches, they have no trust whatsoever in Gaudin, and there’s nobody else. I think the Yanks get to Martinez tonight, but the game is in Pettitte’s hands. If he can’t keep the Phillies at bay, we’re gonna see a Game Seven.
The first two innings will be key. If Pettitte cannot command the strike zone, the Yankees are in trouble, because, other than the three starters and Rivera, there’s no one Girardi trusts anymore.
10 Backtalkers
So I kind of ignored this Teix issue the first time you brought it up, John, but I gotta address it now. You should not make a change based on Teix’s 23 WS PA’s this year. That sample size is simply too small to tell you anything meaningful. Now, it may be that ARod and Teix should be switched because they should have been switched for the entire World Series – that’s a reasonable argument…but there’s simply no justification for switching them now based solely on their playoff performances.
I gots to go with John on this. If the big guy were seeing the ball and hitting it hard, I would concur with you on this, leave him be. And I know all about sample size, but I am watching him at the plate and he’s just fucking lost right now…in an Aaron Rowand head up his ass kind of way. Its only temporary for sure, but damn, the way he’s leaving A-Rod in the box is just too mindful of what used to happen to Bonds with regularity after Kent was shown the door.
Yet on the other hand, flopping them at this late date along with Girardi’s stunts with the pitching staff, and having A-Rod come up snake eyes would be like pouring napalm on a forest fire.
At this point, it really does just come down to pitcher vs hitter. The manager and coaches are after all this time pretty much spectators. Everybody knows everybody else. The hitters know the pitchers, and the pitchers know the hitters. And they all know the umpires and vice versa. No unknowns. Its not like Peyton Manning is going to pitchout to Joseph Addai on a half-back option pass against the 49ers or anything.
These are two championship caliber teams. They are both good enough to win.
He’s 10 for 59 coming into tonight, with 16 strikeouts. I’m not suggesting Girardi should bench him, but batting a guy in the top run producing slot –the number three slot in the order, in that kind of extended slump– is a mistake. You don’t just put together a lineup and leave it that way no matter what happens. The guy has been hopeless for the entire postseason. Dropping him a spot or two would hardly be unprecedented, or even very dramatic. It’s the reason you have a manager, to make the difficult choices, and see what the players cannot.
To say that there’s no justification…. I mean, what the hell are you talking about? He’s left something like 20 guys on base, and looks completely lost at the plate, while A-Rod could hardly be more on fire. There’s all the justification in the world.
The problem with that is the predictive power of streaks/slumps is basically non-existant. Obviously at the time Girardi has to make the decision he doesn’t know the future, so he has to use all the information at hand to best predict the future, and a small streak/slump tells us nothing about what a guy is going to do in the future. Their future production is independant of the recent past and the best predictor of a guys future production would be some combination of weighting his most recent seasons – which tell us Teix is a hell of a hitter, and that’s what we should expect him to do going forward.
Making decisions based on small samples is a mistake.
In the end, for this particular scenario though, I’m not actually against changing up Teix and ARod. They’re both amazing hitters, so I don’t think it really matters what order they’re in as long as they’re both in the middle of the lineup, so if you think maybe it’ll have some mental effect, whatever, why not try it? I just don’t think the theory of using a small sample of hot/cold performance to predict future performance is sound at all, so that’s the point I’m trying to make.
interesting point brother…..I think Girardi sucks!!!!! being up 3-1 he should have pitched Gaudin in game 5 without a doubt. We could have Burnett on normal rest at home to close it, where he is obviously a different pitcher. He is a terrible pitcher on the road, i knew just as everyone in NY that he had absolutely no shot of pitching a quality game on the road and then add in he was on 3 days rest. Absurd to think he had any chance to succeed. The Yanks could of had Pettite in the bullpen if we needed him and put our two big arms to pitch 6 & 7 if we needed them. Girardi is constantly pulling all the wrong strings…..Gaudin is just as good as Burnett on 3 days rest and on the road in a hostile environment. Burmett hasn’t proven he can pitch a big game on the road the entire season, why would that change now. Girardi needs to take all the blame if they lose this series…..He sucks the “BIG ONE”. He wins the “overmanaging” manager of the year!!!!!! I think Tex will turn it around tonight and come up clutch. Go Yanks.
Utley is an animal…….he might win the MVP even he the Phillies lose. that would be sick.
Just so everybody knows, this actually is my brother….
As for Girardi, I agree, he has not impressed. Burnett’s bad start on Monday was the first of the playoffs for the Yankees, which makes it fairly difficult for a manager to blow a teams chance to win. Nonetheless, he’s made many questionable decisions. However, in his defense, the Yankees bullpen –other than Rivera– has been consistently awful. The hitters, other than A-Rod, Jeter and Damon, have been absolutely terrible. And yet, the Yankees are one win away from a title.
He has to be doing something right.
I think it comes down to either Howard or Teixiera and Petite and Pedro lasting into the 6th. Can’t blame Giraridi if Teixiara keeps dialing up zeross. Can’t blame Uncle Fester if Howard doesn’t hit either. It comes down to the players.
Yankees are crazy if they pitch to Utley, the way Howard has turned his bat into a gigantic infuriated palm tree.
I think if the Yanks have problems with Chamberlain it is on the way he has been handled. The way they’ve treated that kid with the stuff that he has and the background he comes from is just plain fucking retarded. Just because you’re rich, doesn’t mean you know everything. (And I’m not only looking at Hank, I’m looking at the talcum-covered eraserhead with the bow tie too)
But gots to agree with your bro, John. Girardi reminds me of a younger Felipe Alou or even A.J. Hinch. Seems like they do shit and step all over their hermans, just to draw attention to themselves.
That was a terrible strike three call on A-Rod.
Correction, other than Jeter, Damon, A-Rod and Matsui, every Yankee hitter has been abysmal.
Cano, Posada, Swisher, Garnder, Hairston, 0 for the game. If the Yanks can hold on, Matsui is the MVP.