Yankees outsmarting themselves with absurd lineup vs. Mets lefty was predictable

It's no great secret why the already depleted Yankees lineup is even more deficient when JD Davis bats cleanup and Jahmai Jones leads off, but at least New York built an even stronger case for this glaring reality on Tuesday night by providing additional evidence.

Unless Aaron Boone took the captain's hat and was attempting to pull a Joe Torre, running out the intentionally worst lineup he could to make a statement about the team's lack of depth, which Jomboy theorized, the anti-same-side analytics department takeover put another wrongheaded masterclass on display in the Subway Series.

The worst part is, of course, that most fans will blame an icy cold A's reject cleaning up or a beloved Quad-A dugout celebrater leading off on the "analytics" bogeyman. Analytics would never recommend getting your worst hitter additional at-bats by placing them in the leadoff spot. Analytics would never endorse making JD Davis clean up in his first start since July 3.

The Yankees' floundering analytics department might have such ideas, bending over backwards to make the lineup markedly worse against (checks notes) 2024 Jose Quintana, but no well-equipped unit would ever endorse such decisions.

The Yankees' analytics group -- and you're not going to believe this -- does not appear to be a well-equipped unit.

Yankees lineup meant to mash lefties vs. Mets needs a few more lefty mashers

Davis was a theoretically solid wild card of a pickup, but he's been deemphasized for weeks and immediately appeared rusty and behind the eight ball. His rust, predictably, did not abate after three weeks off spent sitting in a lounge chair.

Jones? He actually hits over .300 as a starter and under .100 as a pinch-hitter or defensive replacement this season, and has been a spark-type addition to some very unexpectedly successful lineups (the opener in Kansas City comes to mind). But, after a nine-run outburst on Monday, watching such an obvious downgrade in motion hours before first pitch was unbelievably disheartening. If you're going to play Jones, bat him ninth. Get him in there in DJ LeMahieu's stead.

With less than a week to go until the trade deadline, the Yankees still refuse to allow their third- and fourth-best offensive players (Ben Rice and Austin Wells) to play against left-handed pitching, neutering their opportunities to contribute. On Tuesday, the Yankees had a chance to redefine insanity by doubling down, and with a same-side arm looming, they took it.

That offensive sacrifice resulted in a single run scored against Quintana on a Gleyber Torres solo shot. Fittingly, that homer was the only moment in the entire game that a competent analytics group would've approved of.