Hour 3: Game 3 Lineup is Out

Craig Carton (0:00)

Great storyteller as well. He's got the broadcast tonight on TNT with Brian Anderson, and I'm forgetting the third member of that crew.

That's on me. Who is it? Lauren Shahadi, she's the dugout reporter. I'm not sure we'll have a chance to talk to her. If she swings by, that'll be great too. But that's coming up a little bit later on this hour. But I'm being told that the lineup has been announced.

Chris McMonigle (0:23)

The lineup is out. And it will be two things, Yankee fans applaud, and one thing they don't like.

Craig Carton (0:29)

I've not seen it.

SPEAKER_3 (0:29)

So do the sponsor show.

Chris McMonigle (0:30)

Myself included.

Craig Carton (0:31)

And then let's get into it. Go ahead.

Chris McMonigle (0:33)

The Yankee starting lineup is brought to you by Samwell Institute for Pain Management, turned to Samwell Pain for minimally invasive, same-day procedures at one of their three New Jersey locations.

SPEAKER_3 (0:42)

All right.

Craig Carton (0:42)

Let me get to the obvious one.

SPEAKER_3 (0:43)

Yes.

Craig Carton (0:44)

How many changes did you say they made?

Chris McMonigle (0:45)

There's two changes.

Craig Carton (0:46)

All right.

Chris McMonigle (0:47)

Two changes to personnel, one change to the overall lineup, and that's the one that Yankee fans aren't going to like.

Craig Carton (0:52)

All right. Let me get to what should be the obvious one. Ryan McMahon is not the starting 3rd baseman.

Chris McMonigle (0:57)

Jose Caballero is playing 3rd and batting 9th. All right.

Craig Carton (1:01)

That was the obvious one.

So now, if there's a second change, it's either Grisham in center or it's Jazz at 2nd, because you're not going to change anybody else. I'm going to take the guess. You said Yankee fans will like it? Yeah.

Chris McMonigle (1:13)

I gave that away.

Craig Carton (1:14)

All right. So Jazz is Anthony Volpe starting at 2nd base.

Chris McMonigle (1:17)

Anthony Volpe is your starting 2nd baseman batting 7th.

Craig Carton (1:20)

Okay. So we got those two.

Chris McMonigle (1:22)

Yep.

Craig Carton (1:23)

And then you said the last one is something Yankee fans will not like.

Chris McMonigle (1:26)

Yeah. I don't like it either.

Craig Carton (1:28)

It's a... But it's not as far as who's playing it's a matter of... No. Where they're playing or where they're batting.

Chris McMonigle (1:32)

Where they're batting in the lineup.

Craig Carton (1:33)

Oh. Where they're batting in the lineup.

Chris McMonigle (1:35)

Yep. It's something the Yankees have done a lot of the year.

It made sense early on. It quickly became something they should have gotten off a hell of a lot earlier than they did it. And they're going back to it in a must-win game number 3, and I don't like it.

Craig Carton (1:48)

So it's something they did a lot early this season?

Chris McMonigle (1:50)

Yep.

Craig Carton (1:51)

And it didn't work out? And they made the change a lot later than you wanted them to?

Chris McMonigle (1:56)

Yep.

Craig Carton (1:57)

And now they've gone back to a decision you didn't like in the first place?

Chris McMonigle (2:00)

Correct.

Craig Carton (2:03)

Is it who's batting third?

Chris McMonigle (2:05)

No.

Jay Neptune (2:06)

Although that has...

Chris McMonigle (2:07)

No, that's pretty much... That's the same.

Craig Carton (2:09)

Is it the lead-off batter?

Jay Neptune (2:10)

Yes.

Craig Carton (2:11)

So you're saying Ben Rice is not leading off tonight?

Chris McMonigle (2:13)

Correct. Ben Rice is not leading off.

Craig Carton (2:14)

Is Ben Rice batting second?

Chris McMonigle (2:16)

He is.

Craig Carton (2:18)

They have Grisham leading off?

Chris McMonigle (2:19)

They do. Trent Grisham is back in the lead-off spot. I don't understand that I don't like it at all. I have no problem with Trent Grisham being on this team in center field in the lineup today. I don't. I don't think Ramos is better. I don't think they're better defensively. I don't think they're better offensively. I have no problem with Trent Grisham out in center field.

SPEAKER_3 (2:35)

So Grisham is playing center. He should not be the lead-off batter. Spencer Jones is playing right.

Chris McMonigle (2:38)

Trent Grisham is going to get more bats than anybody else on this team. I just, I don't get it.

And Bellinger, so here's the full lineup. Hold on, stop.

Craig Carton (2:47)

It's desperate.

Chris McMonigle (2:48)

Well, it's not desperate. I mean, they did it a lot of the year.

Craig Carton (2:51)

But it didn't work.

Chris McMonigle (2:52)

He was terrible at the lead-off spot.

Craig Carton (2:53)

But Ben Rice is your best hitter.