ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Never let it be said that all outs are created equal. Never let it be said that “little ball” can't make a huge difference. Never send a slugger up to do a slap hitter's job.
Not if you want to win in October.
The resourceful Tampa Bay Rays squared the World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies last night with a 4-2 testament to making contact. The Rays scored three of their runs on infield outs – one of them a squeeze play – while the Phillies continued to strand runners in scoring position through a pronounced inability to put the ball in play.
The American League champions prevailed through an approach traditionally associated with the National League, feasting on the low-hanging fruit, collecting conceded single runs instead of chasing the elusive big inning. They took a 2-0 lead on a pair of first-inning RBI groundouts and padded their lead to 4-0 in the fourth when Jason Bartlett's safety squeeze bunt scored Cliff Floyd from third base.
“Getting the bunts down, moving guys over and getting runs in, that's what we're about,” Rays outfielder B.J. Upton said last night at Tropicana Field. “That's small ball. We've worked hard at it and emphasized it. That's pretty much what won us the ballgame tonight.”
One of the more appealing aspects of the decline in steroid-fueled statistics is that ballclubs must use more of their weapons to win. Baseball is a better, more interesting game when a manager must make use of a variety of tools with players who possess a range of skills rather than a specialized talent for swinging from the heels.
The three-run homer still covers a multitude of sins, but it's a rarer commodity than it once was and it's rarer still against the elite pitchers clubs face in the postseason.
If you can't hit behind the runner, steal a base and execute a bunt, you're going to have a hard time hiding your limitations in October. This is not intended to slight the Phillies, who have a better and more versatile offense than they've shown in Florida, but when you're 1-for-28 with runners in scoring position, it might be time to try different tactics.
“I turned to (coach) Davey Martinez and I said, “This is what we have to emphasize next year in spring training – scoring runs with outs,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “We've been horrid with that all year. . .
“I really want us to understand it's being validated when you play this time of year, under these circumstances, to be able to have that within your arsenal. . . . Ground ball, ground ball, bunt – three points right there. That's beautiful.”
The Phillies, by contrast, are flailing. Three times in Game 1, Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard batted with a runner at third base and one out. Each time, Maddon deployed three of his infielders on the right side of second base, effectively inviting Howard to slap an RBI single through the gaping hole between third baseman Evan Longoria and second base.
Three straight times, Howard struck out when almost any kind of contact would have produced a run. As great a run-producer as Howard has been, his futility had to be exasperating for Phillies fans.
You can't help wondering what Tony Gwynn would have done against such a shift at his professional peak. You can't help thinking that Gwynn would manage to put his bat on the ball even now, seven years since his last game.
“Ryan Howard is a lot like most big hitters,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “I hear people say, 'Why doesn't he push the ball another way or why don't he go the other way?' ” You can say whatever you want to, (but) Ryan Howard, when he hits the ball in the air is when he's successful.”
It's tough to quibble with a guy who led the major leagues with 48 homers and 146 runs batted in during the regular season. It also would be unfair to mention Howard's failures without noting that he had two hits last night and was himself twice stranded at third base after arriving there with one out.
Still, if the Phillies are not more efficient at home than they were at the Trop, they're going to have a tough time winning any game Cole Hamels doesn't pitch.
“I'm concerned about us hitting with guys on base,” Manuel said, “because it looks like at times we might be trying a little too hard. But we can fix that.”
The Rays, by contrast, succeeded last night by performing basic fundamentals that elicit little fanfare.
With runners at second and third and no one out in the first inning, Carlos Pena chopped an RBI grounder to second base. Longoria followed with an RBI bouncer to third base.
With runners at first and third and one out in the fourth, Maddon ordered a squeeze play from his ninth-place hitter, Jason Bartlett. Bartlett's bunt scored the 35-year-old Floyd, who has stolen only one base over his past two seasons.
“We don't have a guy that you can't ask to do anything at any given time,” Floyd said. “I think that's what makes us special.”
Tim Sullivan: (619) 293-1033; tim.sullivan@uniontrib.com
