Howie Kendrick’s postseason track record hasn’t been a hit

Five years would seem long enough for Howie Kendrick to distance himself from a postseason resume that is nowhere near as glowing as his nine-year body of work for the Angels.

But reputations die hard in baseball, especially those forged in October, and until Kendrick defines and deletes his, the numbers will dog him: a .196 average, .208 on-base percentage, 11 strikeouts, one walk, two runs batted in and four runs in 13 playoff games.

“The playoffs are different,� said Kendrick, who will play his first postseason game since 2009 when the Angels open an American League division series against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday in Anaheim.

“The blood flows for every game, but in the postseason, there’s more hype, a different aura, a different feel, and everything you do is amplified. Some guys tend to put more pressure on themselves. I did the first few years. I tried to do more than I normally do.�

Kendrick is an aggressive swinger with a knack for squaring up the ball, an approach that has produced hundreds of line drives and a .292 career average, but October has at times made him even more anxious at the plate.

The second baseman has averaged 3.65 pitches per plate appearance over his career, a figure that improved to 3.75 in 2013 and 3.72 this season, in which he drew a career-high 48 walks, eclipsing his previous high of 33 in 2011.

But Kendrick averaged 3.33 pitches in 50 playoff plate appearances from 2007 to 2009, and five of his 11 strikeouts were three-pitch whiffs. He put the first pitch in play nine times, swings that produced two of his nine hits.

Kendrick hit .322 at age 23 in 2007 but .200 (two for 10) in three division series games against Boston. He hit .306 in 2008 but .118 (two for 17) with seven strikeouts in four division series games against the Red Sox.

His 2009 postseason was better — Kendrick hit .263 (five for 19) with a home run and a triple in six games against the Red Sox and New York Yankees — but he did so in a second base platoon with Maicer Izturis.

“I learned from my first two years, and my third year, I played a little better,� Kendrick said. “Having that experience, it’s easier to calm yourself down. You’re so amped, you’re so hyped, you don’t want to over-do it. The more experienced you get, you realize you just have to play like you did during the season.�

The Angels’ chances of making a deep playoff run would improve if Kendrick can maintain the swing that led to a September surge.

Kendrick hit .293 with 33 doubles, 85 runs and 75 RBIs this season, and he was superb in the clutch, batting .326 (56 for 172) with runners in scoring position. But he has been on a tear since Sept 4, batting .407 (33 for 81) with seven doubles, two triples, two home runs, 13 runs and 19 RBIs in his final 22 games.

One game into his streak, Kendrick replaced the injured Josh Hamilton in the cleanup spot, a move Kendrick admits may have intimidated him a few years ago.

But the fact that Kendrick did not change his approach by trying to hit for more power shows the kind of maturity that should serve him well in the playoffs.

“I don’t think he put me there because he thought I would change my approach. I think he put me there because he thought I’d stick to the same things,� Kendrick said of Manager Mike Scioscia. “My at-bats don’t look any different, do they? So there’s nothing attached to it.

“I’m doing the same things I’d be doing if I was hitting fifth, seventh or first. Just because you hit fourth, it doesn’t mean you have to change anything. Just keep doing what you’re doing. There’s going to be some failure. There’s going to be some success. You have to accept both.�

Kendrick started 11 games in the cleanup spot in his first eight years, but he has made 39 starts there this season, batting .305 with four home runs and 28 RBIs.

Even if Hamilton finds his power stroke in the playoffs after sitting out most of September because of right shoulder, chest and rib-cage injuries, it’s highly unlikely he will push Kendrick out of the fourth spot.

“Howie is our cleanup hitter, that’s the look we’re going to stay with,� Scioscia said. “He’s done a great job. He’s getting big hits, having good at-bats and hitting the ball hard.�

Kendrick, who did not have the softest hands or greatest range as a rookie in 2006, has also evolved into a solid-to-above-average defender. He’s in the third year of a four-year, $33.5-million contract that has provided financial security for his family.

He’s not the most colorful quote in the clubhouse, and he avoids controversy as if it were a runner barreling into him on a double-play pivot. He’s not a superstar, but he’s comfortable with who he is as a player and person, all of which might help him relax more in the glare of October’s spotlight.

“I was a different hitter four or five years ago as far as the mental side of the game,� Kendrick said. “Now, I feel like I’m not out there trying to prove anything. I’m just trying to play the game and get the job done.

“I don’t think I’m going to put any more pressure on myself. The game is not going to change for me. I don’t need to ‘step up.’ I’m just going to go out and play and try to win.�

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Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna