When the Boston Red Sox participate in the first-ever World Series game in Colorado, their lineup will more interesting for who’s absent than who’s in it.
Kevin Youkilis, who is hitting .396 in the playoffs, is expected to spend more time on the bench than Judge Judy. Because of baseball’s standard brush with insanity, there will be a new set of rules for the games in the National League park, leaving a pitcher with a bat and a top bat with a seat. Boston manager Terry Francona confirmed today that Youkilis will not start.
“Hopefully we could get a lead and get Youk in late,” Francona said. “What would the other option be? If we sat down and tried to talk through it logically and felt like this was the best thing to do. It’s a difficult situation to be in.”
Youkilis normally hits second for the lineup, consistently seeing as many pitches per at-bat as a hitter in baseball. With Youkilis out, Jacoby Ellsbury is expected to hit leadoff followed by Dustin Pedroia, according to Francona. Francona went 14-for-28 in the American League Championship Series, prompting Rockies owner Dick Monfort to say, “I don’t know how you can take him out of the lineup.”
“It really isn’t a big deal if I go to the bench. If I do, so be it,” Youkilis said today. “I think you guys are making a bigger deal of it than it really is.”
There was some buzz before the Series that Youkilis might play right field in Denver, pushing J.D. Drew to center. But it appears likely that Youkilis will sit, making way for customary DH David Ortiz to take over first base. The Red Sox will keep an eye on how Ortiz moves since he has been bothered by knee pain this season. Youkilis is capable of playing third base, but Mike Lowell is just as hot offensively and is a Gold-Glove caliber defender.
In fact, same goes for Youkilis at first base, where he went the entire season without committing an error. To be kind, Ortiz is suspect defensively.
“It’s huge for us that Youkilis or one of their other guys won’t be in there,” Rockies’ shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. “It just tells you how deep their lineup is that they will be strong without him in there.”
Footnotes
Rockies pitcher Josh Fogg was born in Lynn, Mass., but he’s not a card-carrying member of Red Sox nation. “I lived there for two weeks and then we moved to Florida,” Fogg said. Francona believes that the biggest impact on pitchers in the pre-humidor era was the impact in the next start. “That’s not an issue now because the next game is during Thanksgiving,” Francona said.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
