09/01/2002
Despite pain, Drew making gains
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
CHICAGO -- The Cardinals might have found their missing piece this weekend. Not Sept. 1 callups Ivan Cruz and Matt Duff, and not trade acquisition Jamey Wright. The missing piece in the St. Louis lineup for the past four months has been a fully effective J.D. Drew.
Unfortunately, as soon as they found him, they may have lost him as well.
Drew, a popular dark-horse pick for National League MVP honors before the season started, got off to a rousing start, batting .319 with nine extra-base hits in April. Then he tailed off, watching his average and his power dwindle. Drew went more than a month, from July 28 to Aug. 31, without an extra-base hit.
He endured a stint on the 15-day disabled list with patellar tendinitis in his right knee, and that injury still bothers him. But Drew started to show signs of life in August. He walked more and struck out less, leading to a season-best .395 on-base percentage for the month. But still the power was missing.
After a weekend at the "Friendly Confines" of Wrigley Field, the power may be back. Drew doubled on Saturday. He cranked a two-run homer in the Cardinals' 5-4 loss to the Cubs on Sunday, and he barely missed another longball Friday when he launched a ball to the warning track. He's coming around.
"I'm starting to feel pretty good," Drew said. "Seeing it well. Continuing to plug away. I hit a lot of balls hard there in different stretches of the season and don't have a lot to show for it. I hit some balls good this series and I'm gonna try to keep it on the same plane. Hopefully, I'll finish up September like that and hopefully roll into the playoffs swinging good."
There's only one problem. Drew took a pitch from Juan Cruz off his right thigh in the eighth inning on Sunday, forcing him to come out of the game for a pinch-runner. He's listed as day-to-day, but it's one more headache -- or rather, leg ache -- that Drew does not need.
"He just has a quad bruise," trainer Barry Weinberg said. "He has a contusion of his quad. He's got a chance to play (Monday)."
That's outstanding news for St. Louis, because an effective Drew is one of the most dangerous hitters in the game.
"He's swinging the bat real good," said Cardinals hitting coach Mitchell Page. "It's tough to see him go out like that. I hope he's just day-to-day. I think he's back on track. His knee is getting a little stronger. Tony (La Russa, Cardinals manager) is protecting him a little bit. Play him three days, give him two (days off). I think he's coming around pretty good. He should be hot for September."
It helps that Drew's swing isn't the only thing that's shaping up. His double and homer in Chicago helped his outlook as well.
"It's nice," Drew said of the power display. "I've been feeling really good. I hit a lot of balls deep, and guys are making plays on the warning track. That's just how it goes. It's a crazy game and you never know what's gonna happen when you step out there. I continue to go in and work, take BP and make adjustments in the cages and do the little things. It's just a matter of going out there and plugging away. It feels good to get some of those to fall."
Drew's injury history is painfully familiar to Cardinals fans, and to plenty of other people who follow baseball. In 1999, it was a strained quadriceps. In 2000, it was a sprained ankle. Last year, he was hit on the hand by a pitch in the midst of a career season. And this year, it has been his right knee.
It's understandable that many feared the worst when Drew limped up the first-base line Sunday, then gave way to Kerry Robinson. But Drew remains fairly optimistic.
"We'll just see how it feels when we get to the yard," he said. "I've got a lot of stuff I'm dealing with, my knee, quad, all kinds of stuff. I might get there and feel good with my quad and my knee might be killing me. That's how it's been. Kind of play it by ear but hopefully I'll come in there and feel pretty good."