Minutes after Mark Teixeira struck out with the bases loaded in Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Phillies, Jeff Francoeur was in the indoor batting cage, working desperately on his swing.
Francoeur had himself left the bases loaded when he grounded into a 6-4-3 double play in the sixth inning. And while that allowed Teixeira to score from third base, Francoeur didn't get an RBI. Asking manager Bobby Cox about Francoeur's struggles produces only irritation, no mater how the subject is broached: "What about him?" Cox snapped as Francoeur made his way to the cage. "He's working every day. We're not here to talk about Frenchy, OK? We just lost the damn ballgame."
Cox isn't about to bench Francoeur, no matter how dismal his batting average with runs in scoring position: a limp .202 after Wednesday's effort. Cox doesn't operate that way; he stays patient with players he knows.
Hitting coach Terry Pendleton and Francoeur have broken down Francoeur's faltering swing, identifying a couple of different things to try. But that will take time, and games are not the places to work on those things.
"Once you start thinking," Pendleton acknowledges, "for a guy like him, it gets worse."
Third baseman Chipper Jones sympathizes and has this observation: "I'd like to see a little more of the enthusiasm he showed early on in his career," Jones says. "He's really down on himself right now and I think it will help him come out of it a little faster if he doesn't take the game as seriously as he is."
PHILLIES 4, BRAVES 1: Jair Jurrjens gave up three solo home runs, but as quiet as the Braves' offense has been, they might as well have been three grand slams.
