Vladimir Guerrero served as the DH for Texas 140 times this year. It only took one game for him to prove to Ron Washington and fans everywhere why he’s best suited with a bat in his hands and not a glove. Vlad let a routine ball to fight field go past him in the 8th inning of Game 1 Wednesday night and he also mishandled another ball hit down the line that same inning. He had half of Texas’ season-high four errors in Game 1 and will be taking a seat for Game 2 after the dreadful performance.
David Murphy, who had a pinch hit RBI single in Game 1, will crack the starting lineup as the left fielder while Nelson Cruz moves over to right. Murphy played 82 games in left field and 51 more in right this year, so he’s used to playing the outfield. Murphy OPSd .806 in the regular season and is posting a .789 line in the post-season. Murphy’s offensive production was similar to Vlad’s in the regular season and David is hitting better in the playoffs, so the defensive upgrade is well worth the change. It is likely to be a low-scoring game, unlike the shocker in Game 1, so a defensive miscue can make the difference. Texas is wise to make the change, but we’ll still likely see Vlad pinch hit late in the game.
