Hole New Game At Plate For Renteria
By Nick Cafardo
The Boston Globe
April 09, 2005
TORONTO - If it's any consolation, Edgar, Orlando Cabrera started
his Red Sox
career 3 for 25.
About all you can do is give this guy a big hug. He's struggling
out of the
gate, big-time. After catching a reprieve Wednesday in New York when he
stroked
two hits and knocked in two runs off Mariano Rivera in the ninth
inning, Edgar
Renteria put up an 0 for 4 and left seven runners on base (three in
scoring
postion) in the Red Sox' 6-5 victory over the Blue Jays last night.
Teammates are encouraging him and giving him a "hang in
there," but he
probably feels like hiding under a rock.
Renteria is 2 for 17 this young season, hitting .118. He's hit
into four
double plays. He booted Alex Rodriguez's made-to-order double-play
grounder in
Game 2 in New York, which led to a three-run inning.
Renteria is one of the best shortstops in the game and he was
supposed to be
an upgrade over Cabrera. He was the luxury item general manager Theo
Epstein
probably didn't need, but was able to sell to his owners.
There are so many things at work here.
Renteria is coming into a new league, getting used to new playing
surfaces
where he doesn't quite know the bounces. He's a quiet guy on a team of
"Idiots."
Boston is a tough place to play for a quiet and private guy such
as Renteria,
a far cry from playing in a quiet, midwestern city such as St. Louis,
where
there's passion, but not the intensity of Boston.
It takes a lot of getting used to.
You can make a thousand excuses, but Renteria doesn't want to
hear any of
them.
When he botched Rodriguez's grounder, he stood at his locker and
'fessed up.
Renteria, after all, is a star player, not your run-of-the-mill
shortstop. He is
a top-shelf player who has won the last two Gold Gloves in the National
League,
and has a .289 career batting average. He's also been a four-time
All-Star.
Renteria had a few chances to break last night's game open. He
had a chance
with two on and two outs in the first, but he flied to left. He had the
bases
loaded, nobody out in the sixth and grounded to the pitcher. He made
the final
out of the seventh with two runners on.
The Rogers Centre, formerly SkyDome, was a place where he loved
to hit. He
was 8 for 13 here entering last night's game.
The Red Sox are certainly protecting him. They don't want him to
get out of
sorts. Hitting coach Ron Jackson was scheduled to take Renteria into
the batting
cage this morning in an attempt to open up his stance.
"I wouldn't say he's struggling," Jackson said. "If he was
struggling he'd be
striking out a lot, not hitting the ball at all. He's playing good
defense. He
got a couple of big hits in the Yankee game on Wednesday. I'm telling
you, he
works so hard. He's always working on something. It's a little
different for him
here because he's hitting sixth, more of a power position. He's used to
hitting
second."
He's gotten plenty of encouragement. Manny Ramirez has offered
him the "don't
worry, be happy" approach.
"It's just four games," Ramirez said. "Who cares? He'll be fine.
Just go out
there and play and have fun. No reason to worry about anything. Just
let your
talent come out."
David Ortiz told Renteria, "you've got two different jobs. If
you're not
hitting, then you've got to do the job with the glove. He's a smart
player. We
're going to see a very good player there."
Interim manager Brad Mills said he's not worried about Renteria
because, "I
like his approach." Mills thought Renteria was coming out of it in New
York, but
Mills said last night Renteria looked as he did earlier in the Yankee
series. We
remember Cabrera after the trading deadline deal and how lost and
unhappy he
looked until he got up to speed.
Which is why Renteria will get his big "Papa Jack" tutelage
today. It's where
he will be asked to change his stance, in the hopes, this will be the
last story
written about his poor start.
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