the Grandyman can (do a lot of stuff), but...

Last night the Yankees were facing Justin Verlander and the Tigers. Verlander, the reigning MVP and leader in strikeouts.

Joe Girardi decided to lead off with Curtis Granderson.

He's done this for several games. He's doing it again tonight. I just don't get it.

In Saturday's disappearing act vs. King Felix, Granderson also led off, that sure didn't spark the offense. Granderson leads the team in home runs and strikeouts, batting .240. Do you want a power hitter with a low average leading off?

Anyway, against Verlander, Curtis struck out his first two at bats, three times overall, and it certainly was no surprise. And the Yankees offense did nothing.

The real knock here isn't Granderson, he's doing the best he can. It's the coach Joe Girardi. He has got to keep what is working, and then make adjustments according to what gives his team the best chance to win. But let's be real: the Yankees were the best team in baseball with Derek Jeter leading off. In fact, the last game he was at the top of the order The Captain had 3 hits and 3 RBI and the Bombers scored 12 runs, even without Tex or A-Rod. If you want to spark something and make some moves, move Granderson OUT of the 1 or 2 spot and bat him 5th or 6th where his skill set is better suited. It makes no sense to have a strikeout machine with a low batting average at the top of the lineup. The change certainly isn't sparking Grandy; he's batting .143 as the leadoff hitter. Meanwhile, you have probably the best leadoff hitter over the last decade on your team in Ichiro. Put him in the 1 hole, or if you are concerned with Jeter grounding into a lot of double plays, go Jeter 1, Ichiro 2.

Ichiro did also strike out 3 times in this particular game, but he hadn't at all his first 12 games in pinstripes. If you try Ichiro and it doesn't work, well, you tip your cap at the Verlander and the Tigers for doing a good job. I still would have used Jeter there.

But using Granderson to lead off is a mistake, and while it may not have ultimately cost the game, it certainly contriubted and it was the wrong move.