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Very good point about heat and light. But let's talk about the evidence for and against line up protection, because it is just as troubling if a theory is accepted without evidence.
According to my understanding, most of the studies on this subject look at either (1) the performance of players that hit in front of elite batters (Pujols, etc) versus career numbers, or more recently, (2) whether pitchers throw more fastballs to players in front of elite hitters versus their career pitch selection. In both cases, there does not seem to be a correlation--batters do not reliably hit better and pitch selection does not change.
As for the inordinate pressure argument--that the M's collapsed because of pressure to get the big hit--this sounds like the long time clutch debate that again hasn't found much evidence to support it (Tango thinks it exists, but only at an impractically small level). I think the general conclusion among the stats crowd is that MLB players have already figured out how to overcome and succeed in moments of severe pressure during their rise to the most elite level of baseball.
I personally agree more with the "protection does not exist" sentiment than not, but would like to hear the opposite point.