Yankees Game 6 Lineup Lacks Power

Girardi Could Alter Lineup To Add Punch, Help Bullpen

Nov 3, 2009

Having already compromised his starting rotation by starting A.J. Burnett on the road in game 5, Yankees manager Joe Girardi may have backed himself into a corner.

As game 6 approaches, what Girardi does with the lineup could prove most interesting of all. With Melky Cabrera out for the rest of the World Series with a hamstring injury, Girardi’s lineup suddenly has the slap hitting Bret Gardner in center field. While Gardner’s speed is like lightning on the bases and in the field, Girardi may decide to move in another direction to start game 6.

Yankees Power Outage

Considering the recent lack of power from the Yankees in the World Series, Girardi may decide he needs more punch in the lineup. Mark Teixeira is hitting .105, and both Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher are hitting .167. The 2009 Yankees, fully expected to be a “murderer’s row” in October and the World Series, have been measured and have come up short. Gardner may have been an adequate choice in May and June, and he’s easily hidden in the lineup when he’s a part time player. Currently hitting .000 in the World Series, adding Gardner has created a black hole of a lineup with four spots that are hitting 7 for 55 (.127).

How Andy Pettitte (who is hitting .333, by the way) will pitch on three days’ rest is anyone’s guess, but it’s not likely to see Andy get past the sixth inning on a good day. The bullpen has been a sieve for the Bombers, with Phil Hughes, Brian Bruney, and Phil Coke earning ERA’s north of 10.00. As Girardi seems to be a numbers guy, he may opt for a purely powerful lineup in game 6 to get the ball rolling (or flying out to right in this case). He could then turn the game over to the defense in the later innings, and hope there’s some form of bridge to Mariano Rivera in the eighth, ninth, or (gasp!) the seventh inning.

Girardi Could Go With Power To Start Game

If Girardi wanted to unleash the hounds to start the game, his lineup card and batting order could look something like this;

Before all the Yankee fans let out their collective groans, consider that this lineup could be for the first four innings only, and then some timely switching would be needed to get Gardner into center field, and perhaps Jerry Hairston, Jr. into left field.

Johnny Damon’s arm is dreadful, and while he’s been a force on the bases, he can make terrible throws as easily from right field as from left. Damon can be a liability defensively, but his bat has come to life as of late (.381), and his postseason experience is invaluable.

Hideki Matsui simply needs to be in the lineup as long as possible, as the aging outfielder is as clutch as they come. Matsui is grinding out a .556 average in the World Series, and his power is amplified by the short porch in right field of Yankee Stadium.

While Nick Swisher may not be every fan’s cup of tea, his career fielding percentage is identical to Melky’s at .990. Gardner’s lifetime fielding percentage is .993. While Swisher is slumping in the World Series, batting just .167, he takes a lot of pitches, walks a lot, and can hit the long ball. And by the way, his .167 average is .167 points better than Gardner, who’s batting .000.

The DH spot going to Eric Hinske over Jerry Hairston, Jr would be a decision to go with raw power. In 2004, the last time Hinske had any real playing time against Pedro Martinez, Hinske hit .294 in 17 at bats, with one home run and three RBI’s. Hinske is more of a power hitter (113 career HR to Hairston’s 49), and has more experience against Pedro from his years in Toronto.

Bullpen Woes Could Factor Into Decision

With a bullpen that’s leaking like the Titanic, and a power outage at first and second base, Girardi may decide to dig deep into his stat book and take a chance on a high octane line up to start game 6. Yankees fans would not be upset with piling on Pedro Martinez and chasing him early, as the Phillies’ bullpen is in even worse shape than the Yankees’ is.

In the sixth inning, with a one run lead, there’s only one pitcher Girardi can trust, and that’s Mariano Rivera. Going to Rivera for three innings could leave him beaten down for a possible game 7, something that Girardi is sure to try to avoid. Going to the rest of the bullpen could spell disaster, as it seems no lead is safe. Nick Swisher has an ERA of 0.00 in one relief appearance this year (yes, it's true), and the way the rest of the Yankees bullpen is ptiching, Swisher may be their best option.

If he has to go to the bullpen and not Rivera, the Stadium crew will be sweeping fingernails and not sunflower seeds from the dugout floor. Whatever the case, Girardi may want to change his lineup to try and build up as many runs as he can- he may need them.

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