rockin500
03-03-2003, 01:57 PM
MESA, Ariz. -- The Chicago Cubs hope Shawn Estes gets that natural feeling back.
The left-handed pitcher made his first Cactus League appearance Sunday, giving up two hits in one inning in the Cubs 9-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Cubs manager Dusty Baker has seen good signs from Estes during his workouts.
"He's gone back to his old windup, and we want to let him be himself," Baker said. "Hopefully things will come together naturally and if not we'll have to go back to the drawing board and do some more work."
Baker wants a left-hander in the rotation. The Cubs haven't had a regular southpaw starter since 1993.
"I value them a lot, especially in our division," Baker said of left-handed starters. "You're playing Milwaukee and they've got (Geoff) Jenkins. With St. Louis, you've got (Fernando) Viña and J.D. Drew and (Jim) Edmonds.
"You've got to have something different," Baker said. "I'll take two lefties if I can get them. I'd prefer not to go all righty."
Estes won 19 games for Baker and the San Francisco Giants in 1997, but was 5-12 last year with the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds.
"It's just a matter of getting his confidence back and feeling natural versus trying to force things or figure things or reinvent things or tweak things," Baker said. "He has to get back to a point of feeling natural about what you're doing and how you're doing it.
"I remember that's what Ted Williams used to say all the time. Be natural," Baker said. "Sometimes you struggle with what natural is."
Cubs debut: Mark Grudzielanek and Eric Karros were both in the starting lineup Sunday at second and first base, respectively. Grudzielanek has been slowed this spring by a sprained right ankle, while Karros has been nursing a sore back. Neither got a hit against the Royals.
Old friends: Sammy Sosa did not play Sunday because of a sore right quadricep and could be sidelined Monday as well. "A couple days and I'll be back," Sosa said. Added Baker: "He's been working real hard."
Jeff Pentland, who was Sosa's hitting coach from June 1997 through last season, now is with the Royals.
"Obviously, I'll miss Sammy," Pentland said. "Who knows what he can do? He's a tenacious person. I've told him before, 'You know enough to be a hitting coach yourself.'"
Setting goals: Mike Remlinger scuffled a bit in his first Spring Training game, but he wasn't concerned. The left-hander had missed his scheduled outing Friday because of a cold, and wanted to stay on schedule, so he pitched Saturday.
The Brewers seemed much healthier, collecting four runs on four hits off Remlinger, including a two-run homer by Brady Clark, in one inning.
"You got to get your work in," Remlinger said. "The sooner you get the first one out of the way, the sooner you can start thinking about baseball and start getting work done and get an idea of where you are and what you need to work on. Get the rust off and get in a live situation."
Remlinger joked that he has nowhere to go but up now.
"I always feel like don't start too strong because then everyone expects you to get better every day and you don't have a whole lot of room for improvement," he said.
It's still early.
"The first couple times out the biggest thing is to feel physically good and start to make improvements," he said. "After (Saturday), I have a fair number of things to improve on."
Baker said players like Don Sutton, Rick Reuschel and Gaylord Perry often got shelled in Spring Training.
"Once the bell rang, boy, they're like totally different guys," he said.
Family ties: Baker may be getting a phone call from St. Louis Cardinals coach Dave McKay. McKay's son Cody, who is on the Brewers roster, hit what he thought was a two-run homer on Saturday. Baker argued the ball didn't go out of the park and the umpires agreed to give McKay a ground-rule double.
"I've known Cody McKay since he was five-years-old," Baker said. "He's saying, 'C'mon, Dusty, I need that home run. I've got to make the team.' I'll probably hear from his dad."
Around the horn: Second baseman Bobby Hill sat Sunday's game out after leading off the last two games. Baker is happy so far with the energetic Hill. "I want him to steal some more, I want him to bunt some more," Baker said of the young second baseman. "I'm not only thinking about leadoff, I'm thinking about defense. Hopefully he'll show leadership in the infield, overall game-wise. Hitting is just one of the departments." Hill is a chatter box. "I'm learning that," Baker said, laughing.
Physical fitness: Infielder Charles Gipson had to leave Sunday's game after being hit on the left elbow by a pitch. "I saw the seams of the ball on his elbow," Baker said. Gipson's status was day to day.
The Skipper speaks: "That's game No. 1. That was just a tuneup. I don't worry about veteran guys too much. It usually takes them longer to get it together." -- Baker talking about veteran reliever Mike Remlinger
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/news/chc_news.jsp?ymd=20030302&content_id=208522&vkey=spt2003news&fext=.jsp
The left-handed pitcher made his first Cactus League appearance Sunday, giving up two hits in one inning in the Cubs 9-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Cubs manager Dusty Baker has seen good signs from Estes during his workouts.
"He's gone back to his old windup, and we want to let him be himself," Baker said. "Hopefully things will come together naturally and if not we'll have to go back to the drawing board and do some more work."
Baker wants a left-hander in the rotation. The Cubs haven't had a regular southpaw starter since 1993.
"I value them a lot, especially in our division," Baker said of left-handed starters. "You're playing Milwaukee and they've got (Geoff) Jenkins. With St. Louis, you've got (Fernando) Viña and J.D. Drew and (Jim) Edmonds.
"You've got to have something different," Baker said. "I'll take two lefties if I can get them. I'd prefer not to go all righty."
Estes won 19 games for Baker and the San Francisco Giants in 1997, but was 5-12 last year with the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds.
"It's just a matter of getting his confidence back and feeling natural versus trying to force things or figure things or reinvent things or tweak things," Baker said. "He has to get back to a point of feeling natural about what you're doing and how you're doing it.
"I remember that's what Ted Williams used to say all the time. Be natural," Baker said. "Sometimes you struggle with what natural is."
Cubs debut: Mark Grudzielanek and Eric Karros were both in the starting lineup Sunday at second and first base, respectively. Grudzielanek has been slowed this spring by a sprained right ankle, while Karros has been nursing a sore back. Neither got a hit against the Royals.
Old friends: Sammy Sosa did not play Sunday because of a sore right quadricep and could be sidelined Monday as well. "A couple days and I'll be back," Sosa said. Added Baker: "He's been working real hard."
Jeff Pentland, who was Sosa's hitting coach from June 1997 through last season, now is with the Royals.
"Obviously, I'll miss Sammy," Pentland said. "Who knows what he can do? He's a tenacious person. I've told him before, 'You know enough to be a hitting coach yourself.'"
Setting goals: Mike Remlinger scuffled a bit in his first Spring Training game, but he wasn't concerned. The left-hander had missed his scheduled outing Friday because of a cold, and wanted to stay on schedule, so he pitched Saturday.
The Brewers seemed much healthier, collecting four runs on four hits off Remlinger, including a two-run homer by Brady Clark, in one inning.
"You got to get your work in," Remlinger said. "The sooner you get the first one out of the way, the sooner you can start thinking about baseball and start getting work done and get an idea of where you are and what you need to work on. Get the rust off and get in a live situation."
Remlinger joked that he has nowhere to go but up now.
"I always feel like don't start too strong because then everyone expects you to get better every day and you don't have a whole lot of room for improvement," he said.
It's still early.
"The first couple times out the biggest thing is to feel physically good and start to make improvements," he said. "After (Saturday), I have a fair number of things to improve on."
Baker said players like Don Sutton, Rick Reuschel and Gaylord Perry often got shelled in Spring Training.
"Once the bell rang, boy, they're like totally different guys," he said.
Family ties: Baker may be getting a phone call from St. Louis Cardinals coach Dave McKay. McKay's son Cody, who is on the Brewers roster, hit what he thought was a two-run homer on Saturday. Baker argued the ball didn't go out of the park and the umpires agreed to give McKay a ground-rule double.
"I've known Cody McKay since he was five-years-old," Baker said. "He's saying, 'C'mon, Dusty, I need that home run. I've got to make the team.' I'll probably hear from his dad."
Around the horn: Second baseman Bobby Hill sat Sunday's game out after leading off the last two games. Baker is happy so far with the energetic Hill. "I want him to steal some more, I want him to bunt some more," Baker said of the young second baseman. "I'm not only thinking about leadoff, I'm thinking about defense. Hopefully he'll show leadership in the infield, overall game-wise. Hitting is just one of the departments." Hill is a chatter box. "I'm learning that," Baker said, laughing.
Physical fitness: Infielder Charles Gipson had to leave Sunday's game after being hit on the left elbow by a pitch. "I saw the seams of the ball on his elbow," Baker said. Gipson's status was day to day.
The Skipper speaks: "That's game No. 1. That was just a tuneup. I don't worry about veteran guys too much. It usually takes them longer to get it together." -- Baker talking about veteran reliever Mike Remlinger
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/news/chc_news.jsp?ymd=20030302&content_id=208522&vkey=spt2003news&fext=.jsp