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player ready...A month ago, rookie third baseman Gary Scott was on top of the world, having made the jump from Double-A a year ago to the Cubs` Opening Day lineup. Saturday night, following the Cubs` 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, Scott was sent packing for Triple-A Iowa and catcher-first baseman Erik Pappas was recalled.
Scott, hitting .165 with a homer and five RBIs in 31 games, took the demotion hard. He said it was a surprise, ”because it came on this trip. I hadn`t played in six games, and I had been trying to work on my stroke. I thought if they were sending me down, they wouldn`t take me on this trip.”
Manager Don Zimmer said the club made the decision a week ago, but kept Scott in the majors so he could practice a few hitting pointers from General Manager Jim Frey and batting coach Joe Altobelli.
”Just to send him down to the minor leagues with the same stroke didn`t seem like a good idea,” Zimmer said. ”We just thought he could use a few days here to learn it and then he could work on it in Iowa.”