On back-to-back days, with must-win games ahead of them against the lowly Texas Rangers, the New York Yankees opted not to put their best lineup on the field.
Playing Luke Voit regularly has been a difficult puzzle to complete since the acquisition of Anthony Rizzo, sure. But the Yankees did figure it out — fairly seamlessly — during the team’s 13-game winning streak.
Then, as the winning ways evaporated and the postseason, once assured, became a longshot yet again, Voit’s playing time diminished.
The slugger’s absence from the regular lineup wasn’t the only thing that changed immediately after the 13-gamer, of course.