Omni, this is perhaps the biggest misconception about Girardi. I have no idea where he got the rep as a good defensive catcher, but it’s entirely untrue. For the entire time he was with the Yankees and at least the first part of this year with the Cubs, the staff ERA with Girardi catching has been OVER A RUN HIGHER. Nobody ever claimed Posada or Hundley were world-beating defensive catchers, either. You’d think if he were one of the best, this wouldn’t be true, wouldn’t you? (Frankly, there’s absolutely no evidence that the catcher actually affects this sort of thing, but the minimal evidence there is points to Girardi as being pretty much the sucking asshole of the universe as a defensive catcher.)
Plus, Girardi couldn’t hit if you let him use a tee. Hundley sucks, yes, but blind, quadripalegic monkeys can catch and hit better than Girardi. At least Hundley has shown he CAN hit at various points in his career. Basically, your choice here is between two crappy defensive catchers, one of whose good days consist of two singles, and the other of whose good days consist of two homers. I’ll take the two-homer guy any day.
As for the wild card…4.5 out with 11 to play? Forget it.
And, Eric Young is tolerable, but Bobby Hill should be ready to do exactly what EY did this year next year. (This may, of course, just be wishful thinking)