So the first Yankees-Red Sox series of the year is in the books, and I think it’s safe to say we all learned two things for sure. One, Joe Girardi is the worst manager in baseball. Two, David Ortiz is the worst hitter in baseball.
I’m kidding of course. Then again, an alien who watched the teams at Fenway Park and had never seen another baseball game would have come away with those two conclusions. Now, by the time this column hits the newsstands, the Yankees and Sox will have played a second series and in all likelihood both Girardi and Ortiz will have made amends. But it was ugly for both of them last weekend.
Let’s start with Girardi. It would be difficult for anyone to defend his decision to pitch to Manny Ramirez on Saturday afternoon with runners on second and third and two outs in the sixth inning of a game in which the Yankees led 2-1. Up to that point, Mike Mussina had pitched a credible game and had just struck out David Ortiz for his first K of the game. But this is not the David Ortiz of old. This is the Ortiz that started the season in a complete funk. And Manny’s previous at bat had resulted in a majestic home run that hit the canvas Volvo sign draped over the Green Monster seats. The decision was an obvious one.
Instead, Girardi jogged out to the mound, had a brief conversation with Moose, then jogged back. And before I even realized what was happening, Manny had lined a double into right-center field to give the BoSox a 3-2 lead. I made about 15 incredulous phone calls to fellow Yankees fans, wondering if Girardi’s brain had been momentarily seized by Terry Francona.
There were other questionable decisions throughout the course of the weekend, notably not bunting on Sunday night with Johnny Damon up and runners on first and second and none out with the Yankees down 7-5 in the eighth inning. Damon was facing tough lefty specialist Javier Lopez and has struggled mightily all season. I know the guy in back of him, Robinson Cano, has been bad as well, but at least you would have had two runners in scoring position with a chance to get a run on an out. Plus, it would have given Bobby Abreu the chance to bat in the inning.
But the signature decision is the choice to pitch to Ramirez. It is indicative of something that has plagued Girardi as a manager back to his one (Manager of the Year) season in Florida. Joe Girardi is a good baseball man and may, over the long haul, prove to be the right man for this job. He brings a little more order and discipline to a clubhouse that may have gotten too comfortable under the watch of Joe Torre. But Girardi got fired in Florida partially because he is an arrogant guy who had the nerve to reportedly tell Jeff Loria, his owner, to “shut the (expletive) up.” And his managerial decisions sometimes reek of a reckless bravado. Already this season, he has hit-and-run with light-hitting Alberto Castillo at the plate and lead-footed Jose Molina at first base in another obvious bunting situation.
But not walking Manny is the smuggest decision yet. I don’t care what Mussina told him when he went out for that brief mound meeting, just as Grady Little shouldn’t have listened to what Pedro Martinez told him when he visited the mound during the eighth inning of Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. Luckily for Girardi, this wasn’t a playoff game and he’ll have plenty of opportunities to atone. But wanting to take on Manny Ramirez, he of the 53 career home runs against the Yankees, is just senseless lunacy. Kevin Youkilis is a nice player. Manny is an immortal. Girardi’s decision felt like a new manager trying to make his mark on the rivalry. Sometimes, Joe, the obvious decision is the right one.
As for David Ortiz, it’s a little shocking to see Big Papi look so feeble. His check-swing double play on a 3-1 pitch in the first inning on Saturday was eye-opening, particularly since it was followed by his key sixth inning strikeout. These are situations Ortiz used to thrive on, and now you get the feeling he’s waiting to fail in key situations.
Believe me, I’m not complaining. But for Red Sox Nation there is something alarming about the way in which Papi has whiffed his way to a 3-for-42 start. There are reports that the right knee he had surgery on in the off-season has not completely healed and he has simply not hit the ball hard very much this season. Worse, the usually ebullient Ortiz looks defeated, slumping back to the dugout after each fruitless at bat. Ortiz has been the linchpin for the Red Sox over the last five years not only because of his bat, but also because of his boundless spirit, that easy, big-kid joy he brings to the game that is representative of the carefree, loosey-goosey Sox. And as a designated hitter who can’t contribute in any way but with his bat, Ortiz seems like he’s miles away from that old, infectious attitude.
The truth is, with the addition of Jacoby Ellsbury, the resurgence of J.D. Drew and the continued emergence of Dustin Pedroia, it’s a good thing Ortiz has struggled. If he returns to form, this could be an even deeper, more versatile Red Sox lineup than the two that won two championships. But with Ortiz looking more like the mediocre Minnesota Twins first baseman the Sox acquired in 2003 than the perennial MVP candidate of the last five years, the middle of the order is a little easier to navigate. Now, until further notice, you can go after Ortiz and just pitch around or walk Manny in a crucial spot.
Oops. Guess Girardi didn’t get the memo.
In any event, it’s nice to have baseball back and Yankees-Red Sox in particular. Expect plenty of other subplots as these two teams battle it out through the summer.
Only 15 more games to go.