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| Guess who won't be in the Atlanta lineup on Friday. (US Presswire) |
The Cardinals and Braves have each announced their lineups for Friday's NL wild-card game. The big news? Atlanta skipper Fredi Gonzalez is benching regular catcher Brian McCann in favor of backup David Ross.
The 35-year-old Ross has had a quality season (.256/.321/.449 in 196 plate appearances), and his 2012 numbers are right in line with career norms. McCann has struggled by his own lofty standards this season (.230/.300/.399 in 121 games). But by going with Ross, Gonzalez is ceding the platoon advantage to St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse. It's also worth noting McCann has caught 92 2/3 of starter Kris Medlen's 138 innings this season.
In any event, here's the full lineup for the visiting Cardinals: 1 - Jon Jay CF, 2 - Carlos Beltran RF, 3 - Matt Holliday LF, 4 - Allen Craig 1b, 5 - Yadier Molina C, 6 - David Freese 3B, 7 - Daniel Descalso 2B, 8 - Pete Kozma SS, 9 - Lohse P
And here's what the Braves will trot out: 1 - Michael Bourn CF, 2 - Martin Prado LF, 3 - Jason Heyward RF, 4 - Chipper Jones 3B, 5 - Freddie Freeman 1B, 6 - Dan Uggla 2B, 7 - David Ross C, 8 - Andrelton Simmons SS, 9 - Medlen P.
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