One of the few encouraging signs for the last-place St. Louis Cardinals has been the play of left-fielder Vince Coleman. After a slow start at the plate, last season`s National League Rookie of the Year is beginning to hit well. And he has regained the NL lead in stolen bases
”You can`t steal first,” said Coleman. ”Earlier in the season, I was more or less swinging at their pitches instead of being more selective. I wasn`t putting the ball in play. I was popping up a lot.
”Being the leadoff hitter, my chances are better if I hit the ball on the ground and force them to make mistakes. Fortunately, I`ve been hitting the ball on the ground lately and finding holes.
”It all comes down to your mental approach when you`re batting, and I`ve worked on that the last three or four weeks–to be relaxed and have patience. You read about those things and you hear a lot of good hitters talk about that. But until you`ve experienced it yourself, you never know what they`re talking about.
”I`ve experienced it now, and when you have patience and stay relaxed, you find you`re a better hitter.”
— Guy Hoffman, who was charged with four runs on nine hits in five innings in Wednesday night`s loss to the Pirates, nevertheless earned the respect of Jim Frey, who said he had been pleased with Hoffman`s performance all season.
”This guy has had some real adversity in terms of his arm problems the last few years,” Frey said before he was fired Thursday. ”Besides that, he`s had the experience of pitching a long time in the minor leagues.
”Anytime you see a guy stick around as long as he has, and go through all the tough times he has, you know you`re talking about a pretty tough competitor. If he wasn`t tough, he probably would have said, `To heck with it,` and gone home. You have to respect him.”
— Ryne Sandberg has a seven-game hitting streak.
— Cardinal manager Whitey Herzog is encouraged by the early showings of rookie left-hander Greg Mathews, who is scheduled to pitch the second game of Friday`s double-header.
”Mathews has a pretty good breaking ball, and he off-speeds the ball,” said Herzog. ”He throws the ball pretty good and spots it well. He can do a lot of things with the ball that some pitchers who have been pitching a long time can`t do.”
