Summer Scuffling
Inside A Batting Slump
By Jim Lachimia

Jason Bay acknowledges that this may sound strange. But the Pirates' leftfielder says, when you're in a batting slump you need to try EASIER, not harder.

Even All-Star caliber players like him endure periods of struggle each year. There are just too many at bats against too many different pitchers on too many days for that not to be so.

The situation can quickly go from bad to worse if you push the panic button when you're not hitting.

"Slumps are going to happen to everybody, but the more you panic the longer they're going to be," Bay said. "So it's almost like, 'I'll try easier. I'll relax more.' It's hard to go about your daily routine and try not to do too much.

"Some people from the outside might look at it and say, 'He's struggling and he's not even trying. Geez, he must not care.' But it's the exact opposite. You're trying not to care too much.

"Some guys panic. They think too much, or they go off and take 5,000 swings, and that's just not going to get you anywhere. If you go through a stretch where things aren't going your way, maybe you do a little bit more, or do what you normally do to try and get back where you were.

"For me personally, it's not so much 'less is more.' But I try to stick to my routine. I know it's a bad time, so I try to battle through it and not make it any worse."

So being mired in a batting slump is kind of like falling into quicksand-the more you thrash about, the closer you come to going under for good.

Pirates' catcher Ryan Doumit believes Bay, and scores of other baseball insiders who feel the same way, are right when they say that trying too hard and thinking too much can be detrimental to a struggling hitter.

"A full head is an empty bat," Doumit said, snapping off that line like he's addressed the topic more than a time or two. "You can't go up to the plate thinking. It's just all reaction. "When your swing is going well, you find yourself not really thinking about anything and the game is actually fun. And it's easy. You find that things are just coming to you.

"When you're struggling and your swing is not feeling good, you're trying to figure something out. You're watching film. You're trying different stances.

"It's funny how it just comes and goes like that. One day you can get four hits and the next day you can strike out four times. This game is such an inexact science."

First-year Pirate Adam LaRoche remained saddled with a batting average in the .220-range near the end of June, but the big first baseman's swing is as picturesque as they come when he's going well. Although he's done some soul searching during his disappointing first half, he hasn't panicked. He's not the type. In fact, he's so even keeled you get the impression he would exit a burning building in an orderly fashion.

LaRoche said he can explain the difference between being locked in at the plate and scuffling, but he can't necessarily explain the best way to break out of a slump.

However, he does believe things can snowball out of control if you think too much.

"That locked in feeling means you're not thinking about anything. Your brain is completely empty," LaRoche said. "You're standing up there just looking for something to crush, period. You just happen to be in the right spot. Your hands are in the right spot. You know exactly where your feet and hands are, and there's no thinking about mechanics. You're not up there thinking, 'Okay…soft stride…get my hands back…load…fire.' Nothing.

"When you're searching, nothing feels right. You can be in the exact same stance, your hands and everything can be in the same place, but it just doesn't feel right because you're up there thinking about it.

"You're up there thinking about what pitch he's trying to throw, or what he might try to do. Or the very worst thing you can do, go up there THINKING you're going to make an out. If there's a tiny bit of doubt your at bat is shot."

Bill Madlock, the four-time National League batting champion, was one of those guys that could have jumped out of bed in the middle of January and gone 2-for-4. He gets borderline incensed when he recalls a situation that occurred when he was a coach for the Detroit Tigers in 2000 and 2001.

The ballclub used to keep a TV monitor in the runway between the dugout and the clubhouse. In between at bats, players would often check out how they did their previous time up.

"That was just ridiculous," Madlock said. "There's no way guys should be doing that during a game. There's such a thing as too much information."

Pirates' shortstop Jack Wilson said being able to brush off slumps is something he learned by watching Bay -- even though Wilson has three more years of major league experience than his teammate.

"It's all about trusting yourself and your ability," Wilson said.

"What helps is when you look back and say, 'Oh man, I saw it good yesterday and hit some balls hard. There's no reason that won't be here again today,'" LaRoche said. "You just go out relaxed and play and your swing will be there.

"You see great players, and 99 percent of the time, that's the way they are. It's almost a care-free attitude. 'I don't care if I'm 0-for-10. I know I'm good. I know I'm going to hit. So who cares?'

"Searching is the exact opposite. You'll say to yourself, 'I had no idea what I was doing yesterday. Golly, it's probably going to be like that again tonight too.'"

Jason Kendall, the former Pirates catcher and current Oakland Athletic, had the same answer any time he was asked anything at all about hitting. It went something like this: "I just try to see the ball and hit it. If it falls in, that's great. If it doesn't, try to get 'em the next time."

Freddy Sanchez rode the Kendall approach to an improbable batting title last summer. But so far no one has figured out a way to bottle that "locked in" feeling.

"If they did, there'd be a lot more Hall of Famers," LaRoche said.