We all know the story of last night: bases juiced and Manny Ramirez whiffs. Then Trot Nixon comes up (who usually hits in the 2-hole) and hits a grand slam to take the lead and the win away from the Mariners.
The funny thing is what Rotoworld said yesterday when, whoever it is, was aware that the lineup was juggled, putting Edgar Renteria second and Nixon fifth:
Red Sox manager Terry Francona has juggled his lineup tonight against Ryan Franklin. He has Edgar Renteria batting second followed by David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Trot Nixon.
Because the team only scored seven runs in last night's loss? Renteria is hitting .238/.304/.298 versus right-handers this season. Not only should he not be batting second, but the Red Sox would probably be at least as well off with Ramon Vazquez in the lineup. Trot Nixon is hitting .321/.430/.577 versus righties, so maybe leaving him in the spot where he'd get more at-bats would be a good idea? If we were manager Mike Hargrove, we'd pitch around Nixon as often as possible to get to Kevin Millar in the sixth spot.
Because the team only scored seven runs in last night's loss? Renteria is hitting .238/.304/.298 versus right-handers this season. Not only should he not be batting second, but the Red Sox would probably be at least as well off with Ramon Vazquez in the lineup. Trot Nixon is hitting .321/.430/.577 versus righties, so maybe leaving him in the spot where he'd get more at-bats would be a good idea? If we were manager Mike Hargrove, we'd pitch around Nixon as often as possible to get to Kevin Millar in the sixth spot.
Rotoworld is rarely ever judgemental about a lineup change, pitching move, or whatever. But in this case, this writer was pretty emphatic about his views and opinions. This is a classic case of something "coming back and biting you in the butt."
Game Notes:
- Johnny Damon went 0-5 on the night, breaking his 18-game hitting streak. No worries: Damon is still hitting .371 after an 0'fer night.
- Manny Ramirez hit a home run, his 9th, in the sixth inning off of Ryan Franklin to notch his 399th career home run. One more for Man-Ram, and he's joing 38 other players that are apart of the 400+ home run club.
Can you say: Grand Slam?