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Post by alum on Oct 20, 2018 6:26:21 GMT -5
Normally, a no brainer that it's JBJ. Happened a decent amount earlier in the season, especially when JBJ was hitting under .200. Hard to bench the ALCS MVP. Benny had a cold September, but has been decent in the play-offs and is leading the team in runs scored. I don't see Martinez sitting at all. Cora has some thinking to do. There are worse problems than too many good players. On the question about what to do in the NL park, see the link below. Look at his home/away batting averages. Even with the hot second half, he hit only .193 on the road for the year. I know he has been great in the playoffs, but it seems to me that it might make more sense to bench him on the road, use him as a late inning defensive replacement or to pinch hit against righties. Certainly, I would not start him on the road against a lefty with a season-long average of .185 against southpaws. www.espn.com/mlb/player/splits/_/id/32362/jackie-bradley-jrAnyway, it's going to be over after two games at the NL park anyway. Wish I had a broom emoji I heard Lou Merloni on WEEI yesterday make an interesting point. He argued that Cora should sit JBJ in the NL park because it would be less disruptive to the lineup as AB hits in the two hole and JBJ near the bottom. He predicted JBJ sits twice and AB once if there are three games without the DH.
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Post by sader1970 on Oct 20, 2018 8:08:21 GMT -5
I guess what makes baseball fun for some people is the opportunity to overthink things. 😊
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Post by Tom on Oct 20, 2018 8:17:34 GMT -5
One wild idea being bounced around local sports radio (which is a great place to get wild ideas) Betts played mostly 2nd base in the minors and a whole inning there this year. Move Betts to 2B, Martinez to RF, and bench ice cold Kinsler. Not endorsing, just reporting one local theory It's always 5 o'clock somewhere, especially on sports radio . . . Expect Cora to use the same lineup at the NL park as he did during the summer, with Mookie moving to center, JD in right, platoon at 1B, 3B. Maybe spots Holt at 2B vs. an RHP, but he sticks with guys even when they are in a funk - and worth recalling that Kinsler did go .308-.357-.462 in the ALDS.
For the most part likely, other than the platoon at 3B. I think Nunez hamstring is still an issue and that might alter the platoon thinking
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