Justin Verlander's brother dares Aaron Boone to "move up Giancarlo Stanton or flip-flop Aaron Judge & Juan Soto" in lineup to protect Yankees captain

Aaron Boone and the New York Yankees took care of business in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians. They won the series opener by a score of 5-2 to set the tone.

It was a great team effort as nearly everybody was responsible for the win. Offensively, the club was led by Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto who both homered.

However, Justin Verlander's brother, Ben Verlander, was critical of Boone's lineup in Game 1. He talked about potentially shifting the lineup on a recent airing of the Flippin' Bats.

"A big factor for me is that we have Austin Wells hitting .066 behind [Aaron Judge] in the lineup," said Verlander.

Verlander cannot wrap his head around the fact that Austin Wells is hitting cleanup behind Judge and in front of Stanton. Especially given he has not had the hottest bat as of late.

"In my opinion, Giancarlo Stanton has to be moved up in the lineup," said Verlander.

With Wells hitting in between Judge and Stanton, there is not much protection there. Pitchers could throw junk at Judge and wait till Wells comes up to attack. However, Verlander is not confident Boone will make a change midway through the postseason.

"I think it takes guts to make a move with your cleanup hitter in game four or in the ALCS. I think that takes guts. I don't know if Aaron Boone has those guts. I'm interested to see."

To help Judge, Verlander believes Boone is left with only two options. Despite not being confident in Boone's guts to do it, Verlander still hasn't given up hope on the Yankees skipper.

"Either move up Giancarlo Stanton or flip-flop Judge and Soto and put Judge in the two-hole...I think Aaron Boone needs to have the guts to be able to do it. I will give him a lot of credit if he's able to. I have my doubts though, but we'll see." said Verlander.

Aaron Boone sticks with the same lineup for Game 2 between the Yankees and the Guardians

New York Yankees - Aaron Boone (Photo via IMAGN)

Aaron Boone is coming into Game 2's match-up with the same lineup. Soto is hitting in the two-hole, Judge is batting third, and Wells is hitting cleanup, despite Verlander's wishes.

You would not expect much of a lineup change given the success they had in Game 1. If the Yankees do run into some trouble, expect Boone to put on his thinking cap and rearrange some hitters.

The one luxury that Boone has over many other teams is his club's depth. While much of the attention is at the top of the order, the rest of the Bronx Bombers' lineup can hold their own.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been a fun player to watch after being traded from the Miami Marlins. They also have players like Alex Verdugo and Anthony Rizzo, who rejoined the lineup.

All in all, this club has a ton of talent. They have all the pieces to hoist a World Series title, the question is, can they stay at the top of their game the rest of the way out?