re: Can anyone with any baseball knowledge at all, tell us

Back in the late 90s, the Cardinals had their pitcher in the 8-hole and a position player in the 9-hole. Their ideology was that after the first inning, it gave them a better chance to load the bases for Mark McGwire - who they had hitting third instead of the traditional fourth for the very reason of giving him the opportunity for more ABs. It also guaranteed that he would bat in the first inning. Similarly, not having Milam and Larson in front of White and Jones guarantees that White and Jones will both bat in the first inning.