Pirates Notebook: Bautista's shorter swing goes a long way
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Jose Bautista was among the Pirates' least productive hitters after the All-Star break last season with a .207 average.
And he was their least productive in spring training with a .182 average.
So, what changed?
How has he gone from barely making contact to batting .308 in the early part of this season?
Bautista revealed yesterday that he began taking something off his swing -- in terms of force and length -- with about two weeks left in spring training. The goal: Fewer strikeouts, more balls in play.
"Before, I was trying to hammer the ball all over the field. I would swing myself right out of my shoes and hit a three-run homer every time," Bautista said. "Now, I'm just trying to hit it anywhere I can however I can. And it's working."
It was not initially, as evidenced by the 0-for-19 slump with which he ended his spring. But the key, he said, came when the team named him its starting third baseman with two weeks left in camp.
"That allowed me to relax and play with this. It took some time and, once the season started, I was putting the ball in play consistently."
That has not stopped. Bautista has reached base safely in 18 of the first 19 games and last night extended his hitting streak to a career-best 12 games with a fourth-inning double.
Predictably, given the approach, the power is down: He has one home run, compared to 16 in 400 at-bats last season. But he leads the team with nine doubles. And the strikeouts, which came once every 3.63 at-bats last season, are coming once every 7.5 now.
"If the home runs stay down, that's only going to be temporary," he said. "Those will come."
Bautista can be emotional, and he often would take that onto the field. As a result, he said, the adjustment was not easy.
"It takes a steadying of the emotions. I still give myself a pitch each at-bat to take my old kind of swing, maybe on a 2-0 count or something, because there's still a part of me that wants to do that. But I don't commit a whole at-bat to it."
Manager Jim Tracy has been effusive in his praise of Bautista, including his error-free -- and sometimes spectacular -- defensive work.
"Jose has been just terrific for us," Tracy said. "And that has a lot to do with how he prepares for the hitting and the fielding. There's a purpose, a meaning to every little thing he does."
Sanchez a late scratch
Second baseman Freddy Sanchez was scratched shortly before the first pitch last night because of irritation in his right eye. A foreign object -- the team did not specify -- entered his eye earlier in the day and needed to be removed by Dr. Ed Diamond, the team's optometrist.
Sanchez should return today.
Eldred gets his chance
Brad Eldred started in right field for a second consecutive game and will get at least two more, Tracy said.
The primary reason is that Xavier Nady will be unable to start until tomorrow at the earliest because of a strained hamstring.
Another reason: The Pirates are facing left-handers Wandy Rodriguez and Eric Milton the next two games.
And the other: They want to see if Eldred can rediscover his spring magic. He had an 0-for-17 drought before his fifth-inning home run last night.
"We're going to run him out there and see where it goes," Tracy said.
Buried treasure
Tracy, on the key this afternoon for struggling starter Tony Armas: "He's been behind in the count. That's something he needs to fix." Evidence of that: Armas has had two 0-2 counts against his 40 batters. It is possible he is not yet trusting his stuff, perhaps with cause. In Los Angeles Saturday, he got two swinging strikes on his 63 pitches.
The Pirates and San Francisco Giants will play their rescheduled doubleheader Aug. 13 at PNC Park, the first game starting at 5:35 p.m. That will make up the games lost to rainouts April 14-15, and it will come the day after those teams complete a three-game set in San Francisco.
That April 15 rainout forced the postponement of the Pirates' celebration of Jackie Robinson Day with all players wearing No. 42. That will happen tomorrow for the series opener against the Cincinnati Reds.
Sixteen players and Tracy will sign autographs from 6-9 p.m. today at Dick's Sporting Goods in Robinson as part of the Gloves for Kids charity event. A monetary donation will be sought for the charity.
Reliever John Grabow made his first appearance of the season for the Pirates last night, getting the final two outs of the ninth inning after Salomon Torres' blown save.
INDIANAPOLIS (11-7) lost to Norfolk, 7-6. LHP Shane Youman (0-3, 5.49) allowed six runs, five earned, and nine hits in five innings. He struck out two and walked two. RHP Josh Sharpless (1.04) allowed one run and four hits in 2 1/3 innings. C Ryan Doumit (.415) hit his fourth home run and went 1 for 3 with two RBIs and a steal. He also committed his third passed ball. CF Nyjer Morgan (.371) went 2 for 4 with two runs and two steals.
ALTOONA (8-8) beat Bowie, 9-1. RHP Luis Munoz (2-0, 2.49) allowed one run and three hits in 8 2/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked none. CF Andrew McCutchen (.193) went 1 for 5 with two strikeouts. 3B Neil Walker (.288) went 1 for 4 with a walk and a strikeout.
LYNCHBURG (7-8) won at Kinston, 6-3. RHP Derek Hankins (3-0, 2.35) allowed three runs in five innings. DH Steve Pearce (.298) hit his seventh home run - his fifth in the past four games, at least one in each - and went 2 for 5 with three RBIs.
HICKORY (7-10) lost at Greensboro, 12-6. RHP Brad Clapp (2-2, 8.05) allowed 10 runs, eight earned, in four innings. RF Jamie Romak (.333) went 1 for 4 with an RBI.
First Published April 26, 2007 12:34 am
