Corey Patterson sometimes sounds as if he’s tempted to throw up his hands and yell, “What do you want from me?”
The rookie outfielder recalled that in the first spring-training game, he lined a single up the middle on the first pitch he saw.
“Everybody said, `Good job,'” Patterson said. “If I hadn’t gotten a hit, they would have said, `Why are you swinging at the first pitch?’
“The next thing, you’re taking a fastball down the middle and then you foul off a breaking ball and you’re 0-2. That’s why you have to do things your own way.”
Patterson was responding to manager Don Baylor’s suggestion that he be more patient at the plate.
Baylor even waved an incentive at Patterson, saying he would consider batting the 22-year-old center fielder second “if he had a little more discipline.”
“If he’s going to hit in front of Sammy [Sosa], he has to be able to work the count,” Baylor said. “Corey’s like most young guys. The first fastball they see, they want to swing at it. Then the pitcher takes a little off and [gets a groundout].”
Baylor also wants to see the speedy Patterson bunt more often, especially in the high grass at Wrigley Field.
“If he can do that, he’ll hit .330,” Baylor said. “Young guys see the press clippings that they’re going to be a home run hitter, but not before their time. J.D. Drew, he bunts.
“Mickey Mantle bunted too.”
Patterson’s response?
“I don’t think I’m Otis Nixon; I’m not going to bunt three times a game,” he said. “At the same time I’m not Barry Bonds; I’m not going to hit two or three homers a game.
“For me a great time to bunt is when the team is down one run and needs a baserunnner or when you’re not picking up the ball at the plate. [But] if I’m swinging the bat well, bunting is the last thing I’m thinking about.”
Patterson, who is 4-for-11 (.364) this spring, said changing his spot in the order would not change his approach.
“My mentality is that I’ll be aggressive and ready to hit a ball in the zone,” Patterson said, “whether it’s the first or last pitch.”
Injury update: Infielder Julio Zuleta will miss at least a month after pulling his left hamstring.
Sosa will not take batting practice for another two or three days while the swelling goes down on his right ankle.
Baylor will keep a close watch on righty Kyle Farnsworth, who missed a handful of games last season with a sore right elbow.
Field of screams? With Arizona State playing most of its games at HoHoKam Park, the field looks more worn than usual.
Baylor wondered if the conditions contributed to Sosa’s spraining his right ankle Thursday while rounding third base.
“It’s not horrendous out there,” Baylor said.
“But there are a couple of spots where it’s worn, and that comes from guys playing deeper for aluminum bats.”
SPRING REPORT
Cubs recap
SCORE: Cubs 7, Giants 3.
SPRING RECORD: 1-2.
AT THE PLATE: Backup infielder Luis Ordaz drove in two runs with a single. David Kelton drove in a run with a pinch double.
ON THE MOUND: Jon Lieber and Tom Gordon gave up one run apiece in their spring debuts. Ron Mahay recovered after giving up a solo shot to Benito Santiago.
IN THE FIELD: Corey Patterson robbed Marvin Benard of extra bases with a backhanded running catch.
DRIVE FOR FIVE: Donovan Osborne threw two shutout innings to remain the favorite for the fifth starter’s spot. He struck out three, allowing one hit.
NEXT UP: Vs. San Francisco at 2:05 p.m. in Scottsdale. Kerry Wood makes his first start.
