Pinto On Tonight's Lineup

From David Pinto:

Erik Boland posts the Yankees lineup, which includes Berroa at third, Gardner in center, and Melky Cabrera in leftfield. Damon and Matsui are on the bench. The Indians are throwing a bad left-handed pitcher tonight, Jeremy Sowers, one that right-handers eat up. So Girardi takes the opportunity to rest his older lefties and get a somewhat better defensive team in there to help Joba. Seems to me a very good move on Girardi’s part.

This is a rational take on Girardi’s use of his bench in a good spot for it. When a lineup like tonight’s gets posted, the first reaction of many fans is to question the manager’s sanity. But with Damon having cooled off recently and Matsui’s knees obviously bothering him, tonight is as good a chance as any to give those guys a break and hopefully win the game regardless. With Joba on the hill, the worst case scenario is that the game is close going into the late innings, when those players can be used as pinch hitters anyhow.

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