Lineup Changes

Giving in to the inevitable?

Finally seeing what everyone else could see?

Trying to save his job?

In addition to finally re-shuffling the infield, playing Jhonny Peralta at 3rd and Asdrubal Cabrera at short, tonight's lineup features Asdrubal Cabrera leading off. This is a role that the Chubby Indian has been saying he should have been given since last fall.

Cabrera has a solid OBP (.376 as opposed to Grady's .302), can lay down a bunt, uses the whole field while batting, and (as of the last month) is a more effective base-stealer than Grady.

Grady, in the meantime, has become almost strictly a power/pull hitter, has shown an inability to beat the spread, and has been making poor choices on the basepaths. It's clear that he's trying to take carry struggling team on his shoulders, but it's just ruining his effectiveness.

Now, if we had our way, the next move would be to put Choo in as the #2 hitter, move Grady back to #3, and put Victor back in the clean-up spot. Cabrera/Choo/Sizemore has as much potential, in terms or a rare speed/power combination, as Damon/Jeter/Rodriguez a few years back. Maybe even enough potential to force Eric Wedge into dusting off his copy of "How to Play Baseball" and open up the "run and hit" chapter.