Francona's stubbornness backfired big time. First of all, putting a Cora and/or Ellsbury in the lineup is not pushing a panic button. In a short series, guys have to be on a shorter leash, especially if you have some bench options. it's not panic. It's called looking for the hot hand. That's what you do in short series. With regard to the pitching rotation, it should have been set from the beginning that the stud got 3 starts. He could have altered it if we were up 3-0.