Alex Rodriguez: Should Yankees drop A-Rod in lineup?

The New York Yankees split the first two games of the American League Division Series with the Baltimore Orioles and are now prepared to host Games 3, 4 and 5 in the Bronx. This would appear to give the Bombers an edge, but there are questions surrounding the makeup of New York’s lineup, especially third baseman Alex Rodriguez’s spot in the order.

Rodriguez batted third for the Yankees over the first two games of the ALDS, but he’s only collected a one hit, a single, in nine at-bats while striking out five times. While this is only a two-game sample, the veteran slugger also struggled in Sept, hitting .250/.325/.360 over 100 at-bats last month.

Still, A-Rod continued to hit in the three-hole while the red-hot Robinson Cano batted fourth. While cleanup is engrained as a prestigious position, you generally want to have your better hitters batting higher in the lineup so they are able to make more plate appearances. After Cano’s ridiculous end to the regular season, there’s little question that he’s swinging a better bat than Rodriguez.

So, should the Yankees bump A-Rod in the order or should they stick with him at three?