The Twins did the same thing, and often had their best three (not two) lefty hitters in a row (Mauer, Morneau, Kubel). The Phillies also did this with Utley, Howard, and Ibanez in many games. I think the slight platoon advantages might be countered by the number of extra at-bats these hitters get by being one spot up in the order.

I agree that it’s not ideal, but I think that the alternatives for both the Twins and the Phillies, at least in regard to their three and four hitters, are not very compelling. It’s not as if the Yankees have an absolute shutdown lefty — Marte and Coke may be “adequate,” but they’re not much more than that.

One thing we aren’t considering, and bloggers rarely do, is that Utley and Ibanez (or maybe just Utley in this case) not only perform well against lefties, but also feel comfortable and take good swings against lefties, two things that say a lot more about their future success than their career LOOGY splits….

I understand the difference between correlation and causation, but clearly what you are taking my point to an absurd length. So was Chuck. If the conditions of a situation have changed, then you absolutely must adapt your approach. If Pete Rose was still an elite baseball player, I’d be happy to have him in the lineup tonight. If Jamie Moyer were still a quality starting pitcher, I’d be happy to have him pitch game three. But things change, skills erode and good teams must adapt.

I don’t think the Phillies have an optimized lineup, because that would likely entail Ryan Howard hitting fifth. I’d really hate to lose a game because he didn’t get a chance to hit being that far down in the order. With so much of their power coming from the left side, juggling the lineup is always going to be tough. As stated, I also don’t want Utley hitting second because I think it marginalizes his power.

Though I don’t know what results juggling the lineup would have, I know what results the current lineup has produced. In a seven game sample, it seems crazy to open yourself up to the potential consequences of a change when there is really no reason to do so. Make this argument at the beginning of next spring and that’s fine, but not before game 2 of the World Series.

Doing what they did last year = “thinking for yourself.”

A logic course seems like a great idea. Please tell me exactly which modus ponens, destructive syllogism, etc. I missed! Perhaps you prefer Aristotelian to Fregean logic? Which is more preferable for baseball?

You can think for yourself once in a while, y’know? You don’t have to drink every last drop of the saber kool-aid.

And yes, splitting up Utley and Howard, especially in the post-season (when opposing managers are constantly looking to bring in LOOGYs and ROOGYs) is probably the correct thing to do. But, there is NO way that Manuel is going to split them since they have been together for so long and the Phillies have been so successful. No way.

By the same token, Matsui and Cano should be split up as well, even though they both have small “true” splits I think. No reason not to have Swisher hit in between them.