News
Wakamatsu trying to fine-tune lineup
Seattle skipper would like set roles for pressing hitters
By Bob Sherwin / MLB.com
05/24/09 4:55 PM ET
SEATTLE - Just like a hitter in a slump, Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu is trying to find the balance between patience and aggressiveness. |
He's dealing with an offense that is struggling to put up runs. Consequently, that puts pressure on the starters to stay longer in games and pressure on the relievers because they are invariably entering tight games.
Entering Sunday's game, the Mariners have scored just four runs over the past four games. They rank 13th in the league in runs scored, 12th in average and 13th in home runs. Wakamatsu's doing what he can with the lineup. He put Yuniesky Betancourt in the No. 2 spot Sunday against the Giants in an effort to drive home the art of patience. He walked in his first at-bat, just his sixth this season. "With Yuni getting the [patience] message last couple games, I think it's similar to [Adrian] Beltre," Wakamatsu said. "Moving him up got him into a more patience role. "We've always said that Yuni can hit. He's got great hand-eye coordination. It's his strong belief, or should be, that he can hit with two strikes. We've fooled around with at that two-hole, who is that guy?" It's the first time in the No. 2 spot for Betancourt. They've also tried Beltre, Endy Chavez, Ronny Cedeno and Franklin Gutierrez. "I'd love [a set lineup] but with our left-right thing with [Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Sweeney], it's always going to change," Wakamatsu said. "[Wladimir] Balentien you have to see play and see his progression, keep him going north. Sometimes in the fourth hole, he put more pressure on himself. That's not an easy thing." Even Griffey has had trouble with it. He never liked hitting cleanup but found himself there Saturday and Sunday. It's the first time he has hit in the No. 4 spot for Seattle since Aug. 11, 1996. "The hardest thing for us is finding anyone with consistent at-bats, other than Russell [Branyan]," Wakamatsu said. "You see glimpses. It's the snowball affect. They're fully aware of the runs we're scoring, the lack of production and run differential. You bring it to them every day. That's why this game is so much more mental than people give credit to." He wants to keep people in their spots in the lineup as well as roles on the pitching staff. But it's hard to stick with a player when he's struggling and the team is losing. When Wakamatsu was coaching in Texas, he watched pitchers shuffle in and out "and it was hard to try to keep the chemistry going. You built a fear factor that created an unfavorable situation where the pitcher knows if he's not pitching well he'll be out of there after one outing." Wakamatsu would like his hitters to feel comfortable in regular spots, but that hasn't been possible. He had to move Beltre around the lineup to get him going and it seems to be working. He had five hits in his previous 13 at-bats. But that's just one element Wakamatsu has to juggle. He has to deal with various players in slumps, various starters with injuries and limited pitch counts and relievers who pick up the load when the other two units struggle. "Every manager find himself going down that road," he added. "And it's not just the lineup but style of managing. I'll say, 'Let's try to manufacture something.' Then I have a guy hit and run and he'll swing and miss. Then I think maybe I should have let him hit. "We're just trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together." He also said that it's still May. They have four more months for everyone to find a groove.Bob Sherwin is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
