i'm guessing that, at least in theory, it's so the primary pitcher delays seeing the top of the order for a third time. in other words, in a perfect game, he'd only see the 1, 2 and 3 hitters two times.
agreed. it's not like pitchers from other teams never bolster their stats by facing subpar lineups. six mlb shutout innings are six mlb shutout innings.
did it say anything about the time in the '70s when he faced the carlson brothers of slap shot fame? after a leadoff single, it went something like steve: double, jeff: double, jack: home run. then they removed the brothers from the game. (i also remember that eddie struck a guy out. from second base. wearing a blindfold.)
next to nothing from sano and buxton; escobar and dozier long gone; eddie r injured (and .622/.669 ops for july/august). that's more than half the expected lineup. maybe the twins are lucky to be doing as well as they are?