A] Protect the young hitters and the wilder swingers. Rangers have been hitting Davis, Saltalamacchia, Andrus back to back to back. Pitchers toy - via pitches off the plate - with whomever precedes Davis in the lineup, then toy with Davis, then toy with Saltalamacchia. Only Andrus sees pitches, b/c Andrus is protected by lead off hitter Kinsler.
B] Davis to AAA. If you keep him in Arlington, hit him 9th and protect him with a veteran lead off hitter. But, don't keep him in Arlington. Last game, Davis swung through a 3-2 fastball which was a fat as a pitch could be: it exactly bisected the strike zone both Left/Right and Up/Down. If you can't hit the fattest fastball a pitcher can throw on 3-2, then there's nothing you can hit. I DO NOT understand why the Rangers are torturing Davis by keeping him in Arlington. I've never seen a player who looked more lost or who was in a worse slump.
C] When Hamilton returns: the optimal line-up for protecting the young hitters:
1. Young ------- veteran is unprotected and needs to handle it for the team
2. Andrus ------ protected by Ham; is patient; can bunt, hit and run
3. Hamilton RF-- wild swinger is protected by Cruz
4. Cruz -------- showing patience; will flourish in front of Kinsler
5. Kinsler ----- hitter in a hurry is protected by Jones
6. Andruw Jones -- veteran is unprotected; has the necessary discipline
7. Saltalamaccia --- wild swinger protected by Byrd
8. Byrd CF ----- veteran is unprotected; must sacrifice for team
9. Davis ----- will see better pitches than when in front of Saltalamacchia
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