Jorge Posada must be livid about being benched tonight for AJ Burnett's start, even though he had to know it was coming.
I'm not at all convinced that Burnett will have a good game just because Francisco Cervelli is catching him. He has had plenty of bad starts with his personal catcher behind the plate. But Joe Girardi can't take any chances. He has to make Burnett as comfortable as possible. The New York Yankees manager can't risk the fiery Posada doing anything to upset his sensitive pitcher.
But Jorge must share some of the blame. He has not looked good behind the plate, most notably screwing up the rundown in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series that allowed the Texas Rangers to score their first run. If not for Phil Hughes' implosion, that play would have gotten a lot more attention.
Of course, the Yankees are also losing Posada's more dangerous bat by sitting him tonight in such a critical game. But like the rest of the Yankees lineup, with the notable exception of Robinson Cano, Posada has been ineffective at the plate with only two ribbies and nine strikeouts in 21 at-bats.
As proud as Posada is, he must be terribly disappointed by his benching. But for the sake of his team, he must bury that frustration as deep as possible.
I'm not at all convinced that Burnett will have a good game just because Francisco Cervelli is catching him. He has had plenty of bad starts with his personal catcher behind the plate. But Joe Girardi can't take any chances. He has to make Burnett as comfortable as possible. The New York Yankees manager can't risk the fiery Posada doing anything to upset his sensitive pitcher.
But Jorge must share some of the blame. He has not looked good behind the plate, most notably screwing up the rundown in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series that allowed the Texas Rangers to score their first run. If not for Phil Hughes' implosion, that play would have gotten a lot more attention.
Of course, the Yankees are also losing Posada's more dangerous bat by sitting him tonight in such a critical game. But like the rest of the Yankees lineup, with the notable exception of Robinson Cano, Posada has been ineffective at the plate with only two ribbies and nine strikeouts in 21 at-bats.
As proud as Posada is, he must be terribly disappointed by his benching. But for the sake of his team, he must bury that frustration as deep as possible.
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