Either the Yankees aren’t interested in giving themselves the best chance of winning Friday night’s game in Baltimore, or they believe it’ll be rained out and want some part-time guys to feel good about seeing their names in a fabricated lineup.
In a matter of weeks, the squad famed for being “dawgs” after years of muzzling has been silenced once more, posting a 7-18 record that dwarfs even Jonathan Papelbon’s wildest collapse fantasies. When the Yankees were performing well, they used the same lineup every day, and outside onlookers speculated that their newfound consistency could be one of the reasons for their success.
After only losing Giancarlo Stanton to injury, the team has shifted. Anyone can travel anywhere, at any moment. With Anthony Volpe in command, the leadoff spot became a black hole, so Ben Rice took over. He hit three home runs and then took Alex Verdugo’s cleanup slot. Verdugo led off for a few days but did not put much English on the ball; on Friday, he was demoted to hitting sixth against left-handed youngster Cade Povich.
Povich possesses reverse splits, having struggled against left-handed batters in his big-league career (drilling them, allowing them to reach base at a faster rate, and yielding a comparable batting average to both sides, with a 6.51 ERA in six starts). But never mind that! Aaron Boone (or whoever is in charge of this) spotted a lefty on the mound, thus he will use a left-handed lineup! Jose Trevino, welcome! Jahmai Jones, dust off your cleats! Jorbit vivas? Thanks for showing up; no start for you!
Oh, and DJ LeMahieu has taken the lead now.
The Yankees’ lineup against the Orioles for Friday night’s start shouts “All-Star Break, please!”
Three cheers for Aaron Judge, who requested “DJ, Soto, and me” at the front of the lineup during one of his first appearances in 2024. The context has shifted, but there it is.
Judge and Soto should probably hit 1-2 in some order, but Soto’s sore hand (and success in the two holes) casts doubt on that. Bottom line? The Yankees certainly use some better players, and the lineup will never seem complete until they acquire a couple of batters and Stanton returns. No matter how you arrange them, there will always be a player with a.500 OPS.
Still, why bench one of your most reliable bats since May, Austin Wells, simply to potentially stall his development against lefties in the interest of guarding Cade Povich? Running out a variety of slap batters based solely on their handedness when the pitcher does not discriminate against walk-ons from either side of the plate? By all accounts, the team’s current worst hitter is getting the most at-bats rather than losing reps to Vivas, who is nowhere to be found. Congratulations. This lineup should be consumed by bears.
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