Now that he has put his foot down, Cub center-fielder Bobby Dernier figures a few more hits will fall in for him.
Dernier, who was hampered by a foot injury last season, has been battling a batting slump so far in 1986. Even after going 2-for-4 in Sunday`s 12-10 victory over Montreal, his average is just .152 (10-for-66).
He says the reason for his slow start was the improper placement of his left foot.
”I found a flaw in my stance that I didn`t pick up for about 50 at-bats. Actually, Manny Trillo picked it up,” said Dernier, who was in the No. 8 spot in the lineup for Monday night`s series opener against the San Diego Padres.
”I had closed up my left foot on my stance,” Dernier said. ”That`s because I was pulling off the ball. I couldn`t figure out why I was doing that. My first move was pulling off the ball. It was tied in somehow. I didn`t see the ball for about 40 at-bats.
”I`ve had my share of bad at-bats and I`ve had my share of tough luck. But I found my stroke a couple of days ago.”
Cub manager Jim Frey has juggled the lineup on an almost daily basis, searching for a consistently productive combination. One day Dernier is leading off, the next day he might be batting eighth.
”Jim had to make some kind of move, because I wasn`t getting on base,”
said Dernier. ”So he moved me to eighth in the lineup. I take a lot of pride in leading off. But you`ve got to be doing the job, that`s the bottom line. I`ve had slow starts before, but maybe nothing quite as putrid as this. I`ve been there before, but it has taken me too long to find out where the flaw was.”
Frey has shown patience with Dernier and believes he will return to his 1984 form, when he hit .278, had an on-base percentage of .356, scored 94 runs and stole 45 bases.
”The only thing I`ve been suggesting to Dernier is that he should consciously try to stop hitting the ball in the air,” said Frey. ”This spring he has not been able to do that.”
Dernier says he`ll take a hit any way he can get it.
”The object is to try to hit the ball through the infield,” said Dernier. ”It`s fine to hit the ball on the ground, but I`d rather hit line drives. That`s what he`s trying to say, and I agree. Once you lose your feel at the plate, you lose sight of the ball. You start feeling for the ball and you look weak.”
Despite his slow start with the bat, Dernier has not, for the most part, allowed his concentration to wander in the field.
”I can`t let my slow start affect my defense,” said Dernier. ”That`s all about teamwork. But I`m not satisfied with not doing the job offensively. I know that for us to win, I`m going to have to get on base. We`re not swinging the bat especially well as a team. When the first two guys don`t get on base, it makes it tough for Ryne Sandberg, Keith Moreland and right on down the line.”
Dernier`s speed and defense are qualities not lost on Frey.
”Bobby has really played super in the field,” he said. ”On the road, in the big ballparks, he has made several great catches. That`s the one reason I like him out there. I`m hoping that we can get enough other good things happening so that his defense will help us win games. I`d prefer that to trying to stick somebody in there who can get a hit but who maybe can`t catch the ball as well.”
The Cubs opened a seven-day, eight-game West Coast swing with Monday night`s contest that pitted Scott Sanderson against the Padres` Andy Hawkins. ”Some people ask me what record I would be satisfied with before we begin a road trip,” said Frey, ”and I just say that I approach it the same as any other set of games: I want to win as many games as I can.”
Sanderson was coming off a brilliant five-hit shutout in his last outing against the Montreal Expos. It was his first shutout in five years.
