That didn’t take long. Lou Piniella is switching back to Alfonso Soriano at the top of the lineup after a grand total of 2 games.

Part of me says this is just how Lou is. After all, he did use 125 different lineups last year. And maybe he’s just trying to get his big bat going. But another part of me says that it shows lack of conviction, and that Lou might have lost a little cred in the clubhouse with such a quick readjustment.

He also said he’s trying to protect Soriano’s legs, but if they didn’t heal during an entire offseason, I can’t believe they’ve gotten better after 2 games.

And let’s talk about that too. Part of the great allure of Soriano was his ability to steal bases. If he can’t do that, we’re left with a leadoff hitter that doesn’t get on-base enough and doesn’t steal very many bags. He can hit for power, but obviously it’s underutilized if he has another year like last year when he hit 33 homers but drove in only 70 runs. I’d rather do something else with $18 million a year.

Point is this: he shouldn’t be batting first or second. He should be hitting 4th or 5th.