During Wednesday's Game 4, Skip Schumaker took a swing and grabbed at his hamstring, feeling a cramp. Schumaker came out of the game and received IV treatment. and there was some question about his availability for Game 5. So with that in mind, how about we take a look at the Cardinals' starting lineup Friday night?
Tony La Russa Makes A Change In Cardinals Starting Lineup
Rafael Furcal, SS
Skip Schumaker, CF
Albert Pujols, 1B
Lance Berkman, RF
Matt Holliday, LF
Yadier Molina, C
David Freese, 3B
Nick Punto, 2B
Chris Carpenter, SP
Not only is Schumaker playing - he's starting in center field, in place of Jon Jay, who started each of the first four games. Schumaker started only one game in center during the regular season, but he's done it 72 times in his career, so it's not like he's completely inexperienced.
Why the move? I guess to get Nick Punto's bat in the lineup. Nick Punto is a worse hitter than Jon Jay, but Tony La Russa didn't see Nick Punto as a Twin. Tony La Russa has only seen Nick Punto as a Cardinal, and as a Cardinal, Punto batted .278 with a 127 OPS+. He's also 4-for-14 against Roy Halladay in his career with two walks, so there's that as well. Please don't ask me to climb inside of Tony La Russa's head.
You’ll notice that Holliday is starting, and he recently claimed that his injured finger feels a lot better. He could be lying, but he could be telling the truth, and he has an intimidating presence either way.
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