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Wed Feb 27 10:36am EST

LaRussa plans on batting pitchers in No.8 spot again

By Joe Zedalis

Tony LaRussa

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St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa will defy convention again this season —and this spring, too — by batting the pitcher eighth, he said Tuesday. But he may be gaining converts according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Milwaukee manager Ned Yost has reportedly considered batting his pitcher eighth and moving catcher Jason Kendall into the ninth spot to get his top-order hitters more RBI chances. It's a similar theory that La Russa uses to guide his lineup — a chance to have Albert Pujols be a de facto cleanup hitting when the roster turns over.

"We're going to have the second leadoff (hitter) with the No. 9 hitter when we start putting the pitcher in the lineup (in mid-March)," La Russa said. Asked if that held for the regular season, he said: "Yeah, I plan to."

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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