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Friday, May 31, 2002

An injured left thumb that never was given an opportunity to heal fully was a big reason Jason Kendall had his worst major-league season in 2001.

Is an injured right ankle that also has not been given an opportunity to heal fully having the same effect on Aramis Ramirez?

The Pirates are a team in desperate need of offense, and Ramirez is the guy who should be able to deliver it. Instead, he has been nothing like the player who had a breakthrough season in 2001 with 34 home runs and 112 RBIs. His still-aching ankle, which kept him out of the starting lineup in a 9-8 loss to the Chicago Cubs yesterday at PNC Park, is at least part of the reason.

Ramirez's ankle was sprained April 17 when he was involved in a fight against the Milwaukee Brewers. Since he returned May 4, after missing 21 games because of the injury and a suspension, he's batting .157 (11 for 70).

The notion persists that not only did Ramirez come back too soon, but that he's also not ready to play yet.

It's obvious the Pirates should have put Ramirez on the disabled list as soon as his suspension was over. That would have delayed his return, but it might have paved the way for more success at the plate. It also would have given him the opportunity to ease back into playing with a minor-league rehab assignment.

Instead, he came back not fully healthy and with the pressure of needing to produce that comes with being a key offensive player on a team badly struggling to score runs.

Since his inability to start against the Cubs is an indication he's not fully recovered from his injury, it's possible a stint on the disabled list would benefit Ramirez. It might give him the opportunity to rest his injured ankle, an opportunity Kendall never had last season.

That, however, is not going to happen, even if it might be the best long-term remedy for Ramirez. The Pirates' continuing offensive struggles make such a move out of the question.

More than that, Manager Lloyd McClendon is convinced the ankle is not affecting Ramirez at the plate.

"I certainly don't think the ankle is inhibiting his swing," McClendon said. "When his ankle was really sore [when he first came back], he had tremendous at-bats with runners in scoring position because he was going the other way."

What McClendon is suggesting is that what ails Ramirez is more mental than physical.

"He's pulling off the ball instead of having plate coverage. He's trying to do too much to catch up for the time he's missed."

No question, Ramirez has to be disappointed with his numbers. After 116 at-bats, he has three home runs and 16 RBIs. In his first 114 at-bats last season, he had 11 home runs and 26 RBIs.

After batting .300 to go along with his strong power numbers last season, Ramirez figured to be ready to assume a position among the elite third baseman in the game and continue to give the Pirates an outstanding middle-of-the-lineup punch along with Brian Giles.

And while Giles has been on a tear lately -- he hit his ninth home run of the month yesterday -- the Pirates have not been able to capitalize fully on his performance because Ramirez is not even close to his best form.

Ramirez delivered a run-scoring, pinch-hit single in the sixth inning yesterday. That's an indication of what he can do. But unless he considerably picks up in the days ahead, it will be nothing more than a false indicator.

Where Ramirez has had his most costly decline is with runners in scoring position. He was devastating in that role last season, batting .379 (55 for 145). This season, he's batting .212 (7 for 32).

"From looking at his tapes and analyzing his swing, he's a young kid pulling off the ball and trying to do a bit too much," McClendon said. "He looks up and sees his numbers and he wants to make it up too quickly. You can't do it that way."

The Pirates started a lineup yesterday that included Kevin Young, Rob Mackowiak, Craig Wilson, Adrian Brown, Abraham Nunez and Jack Wilson. Of that group, only Young has had success as a major-league hitter, and his career has been in steep decline for more than a season.

The Pirates desperately need Ramirez in the lineup. But they might be better off having him out of that lineup until he's fully healthy.

Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.