Moderators: MickeyDavis, paulpressey25, humanrefutation
Yost flips Fielder and Braun
By Tom Haudricourt
Sunday, Apr 13 2008, 10:35 AM
New York - One day after saying it wasn't time to flip struggling hitters Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun in the lineup, Brewers manager Ned Yost did exactly that today.
Apparently, that's what happens when your two best hitters let it be known they want to switch.
When the Brewers play the Mets this afternoon, Braun will be batting third and Fielder fourth, the same spots they occupied most of last season, when Fielder became the youngest player in major-league history to slug 50 home runs and Braun was National League rookie of the year.
For the first 11 games of the season, Yost batted Fielder third and Braun fourth, ostensibly so Braun could protect the only left-handed hitter in the everyday lineup. But both hitters have struggled in those slots. Fielder has yet to hit a home run and is batting .244, and Braun is hitting .229 with three homers and seven RBI.
On Saturday, Yost insisted it wasn't time to make a switch and said doing so would be only "a placebo."
This morning, Yost said he decided to make the change after going to the two young sluggers and talking about it. But that's not the full story.
Braun said he and Fielder discussed making the switch after the game Saturday and asked hitting coach Jim Skaalen to broach the subject with Yost. It was only after that manuever that Yost went to talk to the players.
"We're excited about it," said Braun. "It's just a matter of being more comfortable. We just feel more comfortable this way."
Yost tried to downplay the switch, saying "it's not a major deal."
"Let's not try to over-dramatize it," Yost added.
Fine, but there definitely is drama when a manager says one day he's not going to make a switch and he does so the very first day, with the players making the first move.
Anyway, here are the lineups for the game today:
Brewers
2B Rickie Weeks
CF Gabe Kapler
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
3B Bill Hall
RF Corey Hart
SS J.J. Hardy
RHP Jeff Suppan
C Jason Kendall
Mets
LF Angel Pagan
2B Luis Castillo
3B David Wright
CF Carlos Beltran
1B Carlos Delgado
RF Ryan Church
SS Damion Easley
C Brian Schneider
LHP Oliver Perez
MickeyDavis wrote:Why can't Yost just say he tried something, it didn't work, and he's switching it back.
stellation wrote:What's the difference between Gery Woelful and this glass of mineral water? The mineral water actually has a source."
I Hate Manure wrote:We look to be awful next season without Beasley.
ReddWing wrote:Being a fan of this team is tantamount to being in hell...There is no Christ that is coming to save us. Even if there was, we'd trade him for a 28 year old wing.
BigSmooth_31 wrote:Where would we be without Gabe Kapler?
stellation wrote:What's the difference between Gery Woelful and this glass of mineral water? The mineral water actually has a source."
I Hate Manure wrote:We look to be awful next season without Beasley.
