A Sensible Approach
Kudos to Joe Girardi for tonight's lineup. Against a tough lefty he moved Cano down to 6 (not a bad idea no matter who is pitching) and he let A-Rod DH instead of Matsui.
I imagine it didn't escape the Yankees notice that Mike Lowell went on the DL yesterday because of his hip. Lowell had the full operation last offseason and was "worn down a bit" (his manager's words) It doesn't sound like Lowell will be out long, but the point is having this surgery and playing baseball may not be the best combination.
It probably also didn't escape the Yankees' notice that A-Rod has been a different player since getting his mini-vacation in Florida. He is 11-31 with 4 homers and keeping him fresh has to be a priority over the remainder of the season.
That's why the addition of Eric Hinske is great. I know everyone is jumping on the "Hinske can't play third well" bandwagon, but really so what? The guy has played there before and even the best third basemen in the game only turn something close to three outs a game. I am not suggesting they use Hinske if Wang is on the mound and I would definitely get someone else in there if the game is close, but for one start a week against a righty pitcher, he should be fine.
The biggest test of A-Rod will be when the Yankees head to Minnesota next week. The Twins of course play on turf and that is not something great for tender players. The rotation is currently setup to have Wang pitch Thursday and I would want A-Rod playing third for that, but maybe they can get Hinske out there for Tuesday and Wednesday.
It will be interesting to see how Girardi uses A-Rod from this point forward. Hopefully the addition of Hinske makes him more comfortable resting him. If not, Brian Cashman has to step in and mandate that he does.
