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La Russa: Wells pitches better when he keeps his emotions in check

Posted August 02, 2007 11:00 pm

Hal Pilger

During the past month, starting pitcher Kip Wells has mixed in a couple of pretty decent outings among mostly not-so-stellar appearances in a 4-13 season that has been far from what he or the Cardinals were hoping for when they acquired him during the offseason.

According to manager Tony La Russa, not all of Wells' problems have been arm-related.

"One thing he does when things are not working, or he's worried - he doesn't mask his emotions, which is not a good thing," says La Russa. "We've talked to him about it."

The manager is convinced that tendency only compounds problems for his right-handed hurler.

"You don't want to tell the other side, or the fans, or anybody, that you're having any kind of problem," La Russa said. "You always want to appear that you've got everything under control."

La Russa noted that in recent successful outings, such as his eight-inning, two-hit effort against the Marlins on July 18, Wells has been "much less agitated and was very effective. I think it really helps."

n CARDS QUIZ: Who was the last batter to get a hit off Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson? Answer below.

n FIVE FOR JULY: Five Cardinals hitters finished among the NL's top 25 in batting average last month, led by Skip Schumaker, who was tied for second (minimum 50 plate appearances) with his .435 batting average.

Also among the top 25 hitters last month were No. 14 Albert Pujols (.358); No. 15 Juan Encarnacion (.356); No. 21 Chris Duncan(.348), and - tied for 22nd - So Taguchi (.345).

n SKIP STILL SHIPPED: Despite his outstanding month at the plate, Schumaker - hitting .304 for the season - found himself heading back to Class AAA Memphis on Wednesday because the Cardinals needed to make room for pitcher Joel Pineiro, acquired in a trade with Boston. It gives the Cards 12 pitchers, something La Russa insists his team must have.

"It's tough," La Russa conceded during an interview on KTRS. "He's done everything he had to do. It was not fun, but at the same time, Skip knows how well he's done, and he knows that he's proving to everybody that he belongs in this league. He also knows the reality of us needing 12 pitchers.

"It would have been tougher if he had been stinkin' up the joint and he knew that this might have been his last time in the big leagues. But he did not deserve to go to Memphis. He's doing everything. He's playing three positions well. He's come off the bench, hit right(handers), lefts. What else does he need to do?

"And he's the same every day. That's a heck of a player. He's convinced us all. He's a major leaguer. What is it that he can't do? He'll be back (either in September, for roster expansion, or before)."

n NO DOG DAYS: The Cardinals entered this month with the National League's top winning percentage (.606) in August since 2000, going 123-80 during the so-called "dog days" of summer.

Their only losing August since 2000 came last season (13-15), and their best August mark in that span came in 2004 (21-7), both of which were World Series seasons.

n WINNING WAYS: Since the 2000 season, the Cardinals are the only NL team that hasn't had a sub-.500 season. In fact, they have had just two sub-.500 seasons (1997 and 1999) since La Russa took over as manager in 1996.

n GOOD, BAD & UGLY: The Cardinals have outscored opponents 70-27 in their 10 wins since the All-Star break, but they have been outscored 94-25 in their nine losses since the break. Seven of the nine St. Louis losses during that span have been by four or more runs.

n BULLPEN PROWESS: The 21 wins by the bullpen this season are the most since 2004, when Cardinals relievers won 31 games. The club record for relief wins in a season is 36 in 1987.

n QUIZ ANSWER: The Cubs' Pete Lacock was the last batter to get a hit off Gibson, in 1975.

n END QUOTE: La Russa on the spark young players can give a team: "Young guys, with their enthusiasm, give veterans a lift. You get too many veterans, it's just too much the same."

n END QUOTE, TOO: La Russa on the team's recent four-game winning streak: "Sometimes you get rewarded for keeping your heart pounding and not giving up."

Hal Pilger can be reached at 788-1548 or hal.pilger@sj-r.com.

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