Alex Rodriguez Benched for Game 5 vs. Orioles

Alex Rodriguez has been mired in a 2-16 slump during the 2012 ALDS vs. the Baltimore Orioles. Manager Joe Girardi has seen enough, benching the slugger and giving the start to Eric Chavez.  Of A-Rod’s 14 outs this ALDS, 9 of them have come via the strikeout – all against right handed pitching.  The Baltimore Orioles are starting Jason Hammel, a right hander, in tonight’s deciding Game 5.

Manager Girardi has pinch hit for Rodriguez twice in this series, but this is the first 2012 postseason game that the third baseman won’t be starting. ”The man has a lot of pride and the man has accomplished a lot in his career,” Girardi said. “I’m sure it’s not easy. I mean, imagine if you’re in his shoes? Everyone wants to be in it. I always wanted to play, too. And I understood. It’s something he’ll have to deal with.”

Girardi has said that A-Rod would be an option to pinch hit at some point in the game, if the matchup looked favorable, likely against a left-hander.  During the 2012 Regular Season, Chavez actually hit much better vs. Right Handed Pitching than Rodriguez.  Chavez posted a .298 average to A-Rod’s .256, hitting six more homers in the process.

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1 Comment

  1. Oscar says:
    October 19, 2012 at 9:38 am

    Wake up, people. Alex Rodriguez is 37 years old, going on 38. His body has been breaking down for the last few years now, and he came back early from a broken hand that is more than likely still affecting him and his lack of power. He’s not on steroids anymore, or at least if he is they sure aren’t working for him, and what is happening to his body and his baseball skills are completely natural for a player his age. Yes, he’s swinging the bat incredibly poorly, there’s no denying that. But he wasn’t exactly tearing the cover off the ball for most of this season anyway, and his numbers against right-handed pitching have been ugly across the board since Day 1 this season. A poor postseason like the one he’s had, combining all those factors together as an explanation, really isn’t all that unexpected and should not be leading to this high a level of media insanity.