By Phil Rogers
Monday, May 19


Do the St. Louis Cardinals hold a monopoly on hitting in the National League?

Maybe not yet, but they're working on it.

Not only are the Cardinals second in the league with a .284 batting average,
but at one point early last week they even had the top three hitters -- Edgar
Renteria, Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols. Renteria (.348) is now second in the
league while Pujols (.328) has slipped to sixth. Edmonds has fallen off a
bit, and is now 18th at .303.

And how's this for a factoid? The Cardinals score a run (226) more often than
they strike out (215). That's preposterous.

It's also quite a reversal. As recently as 2000, St. Louis hitters led the NL
in strikeouts. Now they have the fewest strikeouts in the league.

Everybody hits on the Cardinals. Even the pitchers. Right-hander Woody
Williams, a career .217 hitter, tops the pitchers with a .294 batting average.

Fellow starters Brett Tomko and Matt Morris are at .267 and .263,
respectively. Relievers Kiko Calero and Kevin Ohme, are 2-for-3 between them.
What, in the name of Bob Buhl, is happening here?

Mitchell Page is happening, that's what. That and plenty of natural talent.

Page, the 51-year-old former Oakland designated hitter, is the latest in a
long line of Tony La Russa batting coaches. He arrived in St. Louis after the
All-Star break in 2001, replacing Mike Easler.

There's nothing flashy about what Page teaches. His basic tenet -- that it's
better to make contact than to swing and miss -- is so simple that it seems
obvious. But it's one thing to talk about eliminating strikeouts and another
thing to do it.

With reinforcement from La Russa, Page has gotten through to the Cardinals in
a big way. They are no longer the Big Bang team of the McGwire era.

"When you add a guy like Pujols, who is such a good hitter, your team's
strikeouts are going to go down,'' La Russa said. "But the team understands
that if you put the ball in play, you'll have better numbers because of it.
You'll help your team win.

"There are big things you can do to give yourself a better chance of winning
and some little things. Putting the ball in play is one of those little
things. I think we've got a little more committed to putting the ball in play
in those situations. I think our guys have just gotten better. They are
giving us a better chance at what it takes to win. That really makes you feel
good as a manager.

"There is so much emphasis everywhere on the big things, like home runs. But
we have guys who are talented, who can hit home runs and do a lot of things.
Yet they've responded to this approach.''

Eduardo Perez is in his fourth year as a bench player for St. Louis. He's a
career .242 hitter, but this year is hitting .326 with an OPS that's in
Pujols' neighborhood.

"Ever since the first day of spring training, Mitch has always emphasized the
two-strike approach,'' Perez said. "He talks about cutting down your swing.
Everybody has been trying to put the ball in play with two strikes. You do
that, a lot of things happen. We hear that a lot from Tony and from Mitch.''

Unlike the approach that has worked well in Oakland and Anaheim, the
Cardinals aren't looking for deep at-bats. Page tells his hitters that one of
the best ways to avoid strikeouts is to avoid falling behind in the count. He
doesn't want them taking strikes.

"We're an aggressive team,'' Perez said. "We're not trying to work the count
when we're up there. That's the Oakland A's strength. Their plan is to get
rid of a starter and get into the other team's bullpen. We have hitters here
who are fastball hitters. If a pitcher throws a fastball looking to get
ahead, guys will be swinging at it.''

La Russa brought hitting guru Walt Hriniak to Florida for about three weeks
to assist in instructing hitters. His information may have been useful, but
it is Page who has built up the trust of his hitters.

"We're all individuals,'' Perez said. "Mitch knows there are things that one
guy might consider a key while somebody else will be looking for something
completely different. I think that's the key to a great hitting coach, making
adjustments to each hitter.''

Renteria has made the biggest strides since Page's arrival. He was hitting
.236 at the All-Star break in 2001, but batted .283 in the second half, when
he began to work with Page. He took another step forward last year, hitting
.305. Now he's positioned to possibly compete for a batting championship,
hitting .348 in 40 games.

Talk about a coach having an impact.

"He's got a good idea about hitting, how to be productive in situations,'' La
Russa said of Page. "But it's just like Dunc (pitching coach Dave Duncan).
Dunc's got good ideas, but the key is the players. They're the ones who have
to pay attention, apply it and use their talent. It always depends on the
players.''

An attempt was made to talk to Page, but he was busy as he was working with
his hitters in the batting cage before a recent game. That's a bad sign for
the rest of the National League.