Preview of the opening day lineup today in Tampa?

On the heels of record television ratings for the 2009 Spring Training home opener on Thursday, the YES Network jumps right back on the horse with a matinee matchup between the Twins and the Yankees at 1:15 PM today.

As a treat for the sold out crowd at Steinbrenner Field and the large weekend viewership at home on YES, the Yankees have decided to break out the big guns. Courtesy of MLB.com Yankee beat reporter Bryan Hoch:

Johnny Damon LF
Derek Jeter SS
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Jose Molina C
Melky Cabrera CF

Joba Chamberlain RHP

Aside from Melky getting the nod over Gardner, there is a VERY good chance you are looking at the lineup and starting pitcher for the April 16 home opener in the Bronx. Obviously, the Yankees would prefer to have Jorge catching the home opener with Molina on the bench and Matsui at DH, but there are no guarantees that Posada's shoulder will be ready or that Matsui's knee will be good to go. My preference would be to bat Swisher ahead of Cano in this lineup, but that change would be unlikely to create any tangible difference in runs scored over the course of a season.

Should be a fun one to watch. Don't forget to check out the Stadium Insider Spring Training '09 broadcast schedule for SOPCAST/TV Ants links for the games, and for the upcoming games that you will be able to watch or listen to.

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