4/5/07 TB 7 Yankees 6 (1-1)

I can understand why Damon "must" lead off, because that's why the yankees signed him. So, I don't get too upset when he doesn't bat 7th, like he should be. But when Damon is hurt, it's the perfect opportunity for Torre to stumble into the correct lineup. Of course, he failed again though, by reversing the optimal lineup of Jeter/Cano. Jeter gets on base, and Cano has more power. It's a no brainer. But whatever.

With two outs in the 7th (of a tied game), Jason Giambi was on 2nd base. Once again, Torre decided to pinch run for him. The chances of the next ball being hit being the type of single where a fast runner scores, but a slow runner won't, is so minuscule. What was more likely, and what actually happened, was that the spot in the lineup where Giambi should have been came up in the 9th inning. Instead of having one of the best hitters in the game up, the Yankees were forced to pinch hit with Phelps.

Although Torre has made this mistake for years, it's getting worse. Cairo is their best baserunner on the bench, but he's also their only utility infielder. By using him to pinch run in the DH spot, Torre is hurting both his offense, his flexibility, and his late inning defense. Should Cano, Jeter, or Arod get hurt, the Yankees would most likely have to forgo the DH. At least when Giambi was pulled in earlier years, you could argue that they were getting better defense at the end of the game.

This has to stop.

Extra credit goes to the yankees announcers for noticing that it was Jeter's hustle that willed the TB pitcher to incorrectly throw the ball to third. I'm just surprised that the pitcher was willing to sacrifice his body to stop that scorcher of a grounder.

Yankees 1-1, Torre 0-2