Alex Rodriguez will not start tonight's deciding Game 5 of the ALDS against the Orioles.
Manager Joe Girardi has stood by A-Rod through a brutal slump over the last three weeks, batting him 3rd despite calls to drop him in the lineup.
But after Raul Ibanez hit both game-tying and game-winning home runs in Game 3, and A-Rod went 1-4 with two more K's in a loss last night, the switch has been made.
Eric Chavez will start in his place. It's unclear whether Chavez will keep the job or just start against right-handers (Baltimore's Jason Hammel is a righty, and will pitch tonight)
A-Rod is 2 for 16 in the playoffs with 9 K's, but he's hardly the only Yankee struggling. Robinson Cano is 2 for 18 and Curtis Granderson is 1 for 16. They are both starting tonight.
The game starts at 5 p.m. on TBS.
Here's the lineup via Yankees PR:
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