Manager Jim Lefebvre has come up with something new to try to snap his team out of its early-season hitting slump: Breakfast BP.
Lefebvre called extra batting practice Tuesday morning, just hours after the Cubs were held to two hits by Atlanta`s Tom Glavine.
The pre-breakfast session was voluntary, and four Cub hitters showed up:
Doug Dascenzo, Mark Grace, Sammy Sosa and Derrick May.
”It`s just something I think we`ll try to do after a night game on the road,” said Lefebvre. ”It just makes sense. They can come out early, hit around and then go back to the hotel and have some breakfast or a nap before the game.”
Normally when teams hold extra batting practice, they start around 2:30 p.m., which means players arrive as much as 5 1/2 hours before gametime.
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”There`s no place for them to sit down except on a bunch of uncomfortable stools,” said Lefebvre. ”There`s no place for them to lay down and relax. It wears you down.”
Lefebvre said he got the idea from Hall-of-Famer Red Schoendienst, who said he and fellow Hall-of-Famer Stan Musial used to hold morning workouts on their own when they were with the St. Louis Cardinals.
”I figure if it was good enough for those guys, it`s good enough for us,” said Lefebvre.
The Cubs went into Tuesday night`s game with the lowest batting average in the league at .218. The next worst in the NL was Montreal at .233.
Brave face: Lefebvre admits he`s concerned about the way the Cubs are hitting-or rather, not hitting. ”But I`m not going to panic,” he said. ”The best thing for me to do is keep them loose and relaxed. That`s what we get paid for-to get them through the hard times.”
Ryno`s knee: Ryne Sandberg`s left knee was swollen and sore Tuesday, but he should be back in the lineup by the weekend. He suffered a deep cut and bad bruise when he was spiked Monday night by Atlanta shortstop Rafael Belliard.
Afternoon affair: Left-hander Danny Jackson makes his fifth start of the season Wednesday in a rare weekday afternoon game in Atlanta. Jackson is 0-3 on the year. He will face right-hander John Smoltz (1-2).