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The managers agree

There was no direct mention of Yankees’ manager Joe Torre in Terry Francona’s pre-game meeting with the media this afternoon, but Francona spent part of the time defending a key decision his counterpart made Friday night.

The issue involved Coco Crisp’s triple in Boston’s five-run eighth inning. The Yankees, and Torre, have been questioned for not having first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz guard the line. Crisp’s hit bounced between Mientkiewicz and the bag and was the key blow in the rally.

Francona was asked a general question about how he decides whether to have his first and/or third baseman move closer to the line in late innings. Francona began by saying he takes several factors into consideration, including the hitter, the man on deck and the score. But then he went into detail about how he does not like to do it.

``We probably guard the lines less than any team in baseball,’’ he said. ``Just getting over on the lines is something people used to do. If you don’t do it now, you open yourself up to criticism, but it may not necessarily be the best way to win.’’

By this point, Francona obviously was aware that the issue was brought up because of Crisp’s hit. He went into more detail about how he does not like to guard the lines.

``I’d rather play them where you normally play them. You spend a lot of time working on your defense,’’ he said. He asked if the discussion was about Mientkiewicz’ position on Crisp’s hit. He was told it was.

``I would have had him in the same place,’’ he said.

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 3:13 PM | Permalink