Lineup is so deep, Curtis Granderson hits eighth
Curtis Granderson looks on during practice at Yankee Stadium. (Oct. 5, 2012) Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams, Jr.
BALTIMORE -- How deep was the lineup Joe Girardi wrote out for Game 2?
So deep that against Orioles lefthanded starter Wei-Yin Chen, Curtis Granderson -- who led the Yankees with 43 homers and 106 RBIs this season -- batted eighth.
"Our lineup's deep now, we got guys back," said Girardi, who rarely had Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez in the lineup at the same time in the second half. "Against the lefty, we decided to put [Granderson] in the eighth spot. This is a guy who produced a lot of runs for us and we feel our lineup's pretty deep."
Eduardo Nuñez, who appeared as a pinch runner in Game 4 of last year's ALDS against the Tigers and became the preferred righthanded designated hitter over Andruw Jones for this series, batted ninth. Nuñez went 1-for-4 and scored the Yankees' second run.
"He's swung the bat pretty well against lefthanders for us lately," Girardi said of Nuñez. "This is why we have him here."
Get a better read
Ichiro Suzuki short-circuited the potential of a big rally in ALDS Game 1, getting thrown out at third on a steal attempt with none out in the first. Ichiro had doubled home Derek Jeter for the game's first run.
"You have to be safe, that's the bottom line," Girardi said. "He knew [he made a mistake]. I could see it when he came in. He understands the game. I could see it in his face . . . If you can get there, go ahead. Sometimes players make reads that aren't as good as others. It just happens."
A bad sign
The two Maryland state troopers who were stationed in the Yankees' dugout during Game 1 and asked for autographs from a surprised Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher were, not surprisingly, stationed elsewhere for Game 2. An MLB official said the troopers were on the "outer perimeter of the stadium." In other words, nowhere near the dugout.
