What Ever Happened To Small Ball?

Joe Girardi had a reputation as a player of being hard-nosed and detail oriented. He did the little things and it made him a winning player.

In Giradi's first speech to the team as manager as spring training opened before the 2008 season, Derek Jeter said the new skipper asked the players to embrace those qualities and to play small ball.

"One thing with Joe, he likes to be aggressive, play small ball, run a lot,
go first to third, first to home," Jeter said.

In the season-plus that he has been manager, it's clear Girardi's message has not gotten through.

The Yankees couldn't touch Roy Halladay, losing 5-1 Tuesday in Toronto as the Blue Jays ace pitched a five-hitter and struck out five.

There was a time when the Yankees' lineup could grind down the toughest of pitchers. It got to the point where Pedro Martinez called the Yankees his daddy because the lineup was so adept at taking pitches, spoiling tough strikes and driving up the pitch count. Eventually, if Pedro got through six innings against the Yankees, the Sox considered it a good outing.

And it wasn't just Pedro. The Yankees were able to do it against the best, and we saw the results in the postseason.

But the Yankees don't do that anymore.

Hallady threw 103 pitches in nine innings. The Yankee hitters went down easily and early in the count. There was no fight. No one was grinding out at-bats.

What has happened to this offense?

It's not aggressive. It doesn't hit-and-run. It doesn't go first-to-third or first-to-home. It doesn't come up with big steal in the big moment. Squeeze play? Can't remember the last time I've seen the Yankees try that. Steal of home? Not in your wildest dreams.

Instead, this offense just plods along, waiting for someone to hit a homer, hopefully with someone on base. It's tedious and killing this team.

When Joe Girardi was hired, he promised this team was going to play small ball. The big question is why hasn't it? For all the problems this team has with its pitching, it should not be having these problems with all that talent on the offense.

I don't buy the free agent in it for himself theory. I believe these guys come to the Yankees because they want to win. You can always find a sucker out there to give you a big contract. A-Rod did with Tom Hicks and the Rangers. Barry Zito did with the Giants. Heck, even Gil Meche got a big deal out of the Royals.

But players come to the Yankees because they believe they have a shot to win.

Maybe the players believe that simply because they wear the pinstripes that they are guaranteed success. Last season should have taught them differently. Moreover, isn't it Girardi's job to guard against such complacency? He certainly was slow on the trigger in benching Robinson Cano last season for his lackadaisical play. Have we seen anything this season, except for occasionally being run by an ump, to show Girardi's shaking up the team?

And we all know these guys are capable of playing small ball. We've seen it from them before -- either with other teams or under Joe Torre.

To me the reason this team is so passive is because Girardi has failed to impress his personality on this team. He has failed to win trust and support in that locker room. He has failed to lead. Torre was able to get similar lineups going. Mike Scioscia and Terry Francona can impose a style of play of their teams. Why can't Girardi?

Look, no one expects to go out and crush a pitcher of Halladay's caliber. But good teams get big hits in big situations against them. Tuesday, the Yankees went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

Yes, Halladay is a great pitcher, but since when has that ever been an excuse? I don't remember the 1998 team complaining about how tough it was to face John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux or a 'roided-up Roger Clemens, who won the Cy Young that season.

Good teams find ways to beat good pitching. Right now, the Yankees are not good. It's not because they don't have the talent. It's because they are underachieving. This team, for all it's flaws, should be better than 15-17.

And Girardi takes the hit for that.

On More Thing
A.J. Burnett was OK, but showed he's not in the class of Halladay. He allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks in 7-2/3 inning. He wasn't that bad, entering the eighth having allowed three runs, but the Yankees' inept bullpen was probably argument enough for Girardi to keep Burnett in there. It didn't work out as A.J. allowed a leadoff homer to Aaron Hill and another run later in the inning before leaving after his 110th pitch.

Runners In Scoring Position
Tuesday
1-for-5 (.200)
Season
71-for-292 (.243)

Up Next
Wednesday at Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m., YES
Andy Pettitte (2-1, 4.38 ERA) vs. Scott Richmond (4-1, 4.29)