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Originally Posted by -Slap-
I think its kind of ridiculous to move Edgar Renteria out of the two hole. Why not put Walker's power behind Edmonds to protect him and leave the much speedier player near the top of the lineup?
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I think LaRussa has the correct lineup with Walker batting second. He's not the power hitter he used to be but has turned into an even better on base machine than in the past. He changed his approach at the plate in 2003 to be more selective and take more walks since his power isn't there as much for him.
Simply put, Walker and his .420-.460 on base% is going to score a lot more runs in front of Pujols/Rolen/Edmonds than Renteria would hitting second with his .330-.360 obp.
Lineup construction has been proven not to matter that much anyway and the Cardinals are going to be fine with whatever they do. Edmonds doesn't need protection from anyone. They're undefeated with Walker in the lineup and all he's been doing is walking, which he'll do a lot of.
On another note, I've been able to see the past two Cardinals games, and Scott Rolen has put on an absolute show with the glove. That guys amazing. Walker made a real nice catch tonight. The past two games between the Marlins and Cardinals have been pitching and fielding clinics.