GDT 8/4/09-Cardinals (Piñeiro) at Mets (Santana) 6:10 CDT

[InvincibleCakeEater]

Redbirds:

2B Skip Schumaker
3B Mark DeRosa
1B Albert Pujols
LF Matt Holliday
RF Ryan Ludwick
C Yadier Molina
CF Colby Rasmus
SS Julio Lugo
P Joel Pineiro

If Skip has to play because Ryan is hurt, ok. But don't bat him [expletive] leadoff!!

Who else would you bat leadoff, though.

Lugo? DeRosa? Molina? I don't really care. You just don't put a guy with a .553 OPS in a position to get more at bats or bat him in front of your best hitters.

[InvincibleCakeEater]

Redbirds:

2B Skip Schumaker
3B Mark DeRosa
1B Albert Pujols
LF Matt Holliday
RF Ryan Ludwick
C Yadier Molina
CF Colby Rasmus
SS Julio Lugo
P Joel Pineiro

If Skip has to play because Ryan is hurt, ok. But don't bat him [expletive] leadoff!!

Who else would you bat leadoff, though.

lugo maybe? hasn't skip led off most of the year?

Skip has led off most of this year. His .353 OBP is better than Lugo's, Rasmus', Derosa's, etc.

I'm not sure who else you would bat leadoff out of that group.

They're facing the best LHP in baseball tonight.

[Socnorb11]

Redbirds:

2B Skip Schumaker
3B Mark DeRosa
1B Albert Pujols
LF Matt Holliday
RF Ryan Ludwick
C Yadier Molina
CF Colby Rasmus
SS Julio Lugo
P Joel Pineiro

If Skip has to play because Ryan is hurt, ok. But don't bat him [expletive] leadoff!!

Who else would you bat leadoff, though.

lugo maybe? hasn't skip led off most of the year?

Skip has led off most of this year. His .353 OBP is better than Lugo's, Rasmus', Derosa's, etc.

I'm not sure who else you would bat leadoff out of that group.

They're facing the best LHP in baseball tonight.

Ah.....forgot about the lefty being on the mound. In that case, I'm with you.

[cardsfansince82]

No one else has completed the Leadoff Hitter™ certification course.

[cards2468]

No one else has completed the Leadoff Hitter™ certification course.

Lugo led off for us before, hasn't he?

[cardsfansince82]

No one else has completed the Leadoff Hitter™ certification course.

Lugo led off for us before, hasn't he?

Tony will occasionally approve OJT in emergency circumstances.

[phins]

I haven't looked at the numbers, but I'm assuming Tony's logic is that Skip will be effective against Santana's change up.

It's hogwash, but I've heard this before, against Tom Glavine mainly.

[greenback44]

No one else has completed the Leadoff Hitter™ certification course.

I wonder if Skip puts that in the signature of his emails.

Dammit, he's never going to catch Kennedy's WAR this way.

[dmarx114]

Redbirds:

2B Skip Schumaker
3B Mark DeRosa
1B Albert Pujols
LF Matt Holliday
RF Ryan Ludwick
C Yadier Molina
CF Colby Rasmus
SS Julio Lugo
P Joel Pineiro

If Skip has to play because Ryan is hurt, ok. But don't bat him [expletive] leadoff!!

Although I agree with you, this is most likely Tony's rationale:

Lugo (26 plate appearances vs. Santana): .160/.192/.240/.432

Skip (7 appearances): .333/.429/.333/.762

And like someone said, no one else has completed the certification course, so these are the only choices.

[ilstu24]

I could be mistaken, but don't most changeup heavy pitches have reverse platoon splits?