ALDS Game 2: Making the same mistake twice

So we’re seeing Joe Torre repeating the past.

Fact: Hideki Matsui is slumping badly and has been since mid-August. The guess is that his recently drained knee is bothering him more than we realize.

Fact: Jason Giambi, while not necessarily better than Matsui, is an option off the bench. It couldn’t hurt to stick him behind A-Rod and Posada for protection.

So what does Joe do? He puts Matsui, the weak link, in between Jorge and A-Rod. I guess he figures Carmona will attack Matsui while pitching against A-Rod and Posada. I would much rather see Giambi there, but such are things.

Win today and everything looks rosy.

The lineups:

Johnny Damon LF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Melky Cabrera CF
Doug Mientkiewicz 1B

Andy Pettitte P