Renteria's Struggles Lead To Bench
Rick Hummel
Post-Dispatch
May 4, 2001
Edgar Renteria, the pride of South Florida when he won the 1997 World Series for the Florida Marlins with an 11th-inning hit in the seventh game, has remained among the most popular visiting players to come to Pro Player Stadium. For one reason, the Cardinals' shortstop maintains his offseason home in South Florida.
But, in Renteria's 2001 homecoming, nothing went right. Renteria was going to be sat down Thursday night by manager Tony La Russa, but the game was canceled by several hours of hard rain.
No makeup date was set and, with the Cardinals not scheduled to return the rest of the season, there seems only one possibility.
General manager Walt Jocketty said a July 30 open date for both teams had been discussed, but the Marlins and the National League would have to approve it. The Cardinals would be coming from Chicago to St. Louis while the Marlins would be off on a trip between Cincinnati and Milwaukee.
In the two games that were played at Pro Player Stadium, Renteria struck out four times, hit into two double plays and was hitless in eight at-bats besides having occasional problems in the field. Renteria is hitting .213.
"He's been making outs he doesn't usually make, and he's getting frustrated," La Russa said.
"There's an old thing that's baseball common sense. Guys like their at-bats when they're going well, but when they're struggling, you take their at-bats and save them."
Hitting coach Mike Easler said Renteria might be guilty of wrapping his hands too much around his head, but "it's more mental now than anything." La Russa said Renteria would be in the lineup tonight at Atlanta against lefthander Tom Glavine, against whom Renteria is nine for 23.
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