Jim Tracy Swing Quotations

I don't find myself coming to grips with doing things like that at this early stage until we see him swing the bat and see what he looks like.

Ian Snell made an adjustment from what he was doing early on and got the ball down to where he could be very effective. He forced the opposition to have to swing the bat. He got himself some early-count outs. As a result, he kept his pitch count in order and was able to go through the fourth inning.

He got out of his game. He got out of what helped to get him off to a great start. I saw a much longer swing in Houston. I saw a very short wall in left field and I saw somebody that was trying to reach it way too often.

It doesn't get any better than that. It's what we've been talking about all spring - we went up there looking for something good to take a swing at.

The one thing I noticed about this team while watching from the other dugout is that it swung and missed too much. The approach had to change collectively, in my opinion, as far as each and every guy approaches his at bats. You need a group of players that understand that in a given situation it's pretty important for them to try and put the ball in play, and not swing and miss.

Derek Lowe was obvious the show today. One chopped, two-strike swing from a no-hitter. That's basically what it boiled down to today.

Derek Lowe was obviously the show today. One chopped, two-strike swing from a no-hitter. That's basically what it boiled down to today.

I'm not advocating we take the first pitch every time we walk up there. But, if you're going to take a swing at a first pitch, have it be a really good swing. If we keep preaching that, there won't have to be a whole lot said if you make a weak out on a marginally bad first pitch. It's not the way you play winning baseball.

If you want to swing off of live pitching, go right ahead. But recognize the fact of what a strike is and what a ball is. Let's get a good swing at a good pitch.

His (left) elbow is lower than it should be and he's not pitching like he's coming off a slope. At times, his arm was where it was supposed to be ... but his inconsistency with his arm slot is what leads him to throwing pitches that no major-league hitter would swing at.