The Yankees’ leadoff experiment has been put on ice.
Brett Gardner was back in the ninth spot in the lineup last night against Rangers right-hander Alexi Ogando, the first time Gardner has not been the team’s leadoff hitter against a righty starter.
Gardner is off to a brutal start, batting .140 after going 0-for-2 in the Yankees’ 6-5 win over the Rangers. He was benched for the first two games of the Rangers series before manager Joe Girardi put him at the bottom of the order.
“We’re just trying to get him going,” Girardi said. “It’s a place he hit last year for the most part and had pretty much success there. I’m not saying this is a long-term thing. We’re just trying to get him going.”
Gardner was sent back to the bench again when Andruw Jones pinch hit for him against lefty reliever Arthur Rhodes in the seventh inning with two on, two outs and the score tied, 5-5.
Gardner spent Friday and Saturday studying video with hitting coach Kevin Long and working in the batting cage. The Yankees believe Gardner is not using his lower half enough in his swing and have spent time trying to correct that mechanical flaw.
“Some swings I was taking I wasn’t using my lower half,” Gardner said. “Not only was I getting behind in the count in most of my at-bats, when I was taking a swing it wasn’t always my A-swing and that’s something that’s very, very important.”
The Yankees decided to bat Gardner leadoff against right-handers at the end of spring training, moving Derek Jeter to the No. 2 spot in the order. But Jeter was back in the leadoff spot last night.
Gardner said he does not feel like the top spot in the order was more demanding.
“I don’t try to put any extra pressure on myself whether I’m hitting 1 or 2 or 8 or 9 or whatever,” he said. “It’s all the same for me. My job is to get on base. Plain and simple, the last week and a half I haven’t really been doing that.”
Girardi said he has seen no signs that Gardner has been pressing, but admited there is a possibility the new role could have added stress to the 27-year-old.
“He did it for us last year from time to time and I didn’t notice it affecting him last year,” Girardi said. “You don’t every really truly know how a guy thinks when they’re put in a new position. That’s why we thought we’d move him down and see if we can get him going.”
Gardner acknowledged that the beginning of this season has been tough to deal with, but said he’s happy his struggles have not cost the Yankees in the standings.
“I think it’s frustrating anytime you struggle, especially at the start of the season,” Gardner said. “You’d like to get off to a good start. What’s done is done. I’m not somebody that is going to sit here and dwell on what happened yesterday or what happened last week. Today is a new day. The main thing is the team is winning. It’s a lot easier to go through personal struggles when the team is still playing well.”
Gardner broke through last year as the Yankees’ everyday left fielder, batting .277 and leading the team in on-base percentage. He led the major leagues with 4.61 pitches seen per plate appearance and swung at only 7.6 percent of first pitches, the lowest mark in the majors. Pitchers may be taking advantage of his patience this year, and getting ahead early in the count.
