Quote: Phil Garner opted to sacrifice offense for defense at shortstop, but somehow Taveras' solid offense wasn't deemed strong enough to keep his strong defense on the field as Chris Burke got hot in late May.Although Garner consistently said Taveras hadn't done anything wrong, sitting on the bench didn't feel any better for Taveras. Outsiders also scratched their heads...But it wasn't until Burke played his way out of the lineup that Taveras got the chance to showcase his skills on a consistent basis again.Taveras is even creating havoc these days with his legs. He didn't run as much while he hit second earlier in the year, because Garner didn't want opponents to see first base open and walk the team's one consistent power threat, Lance Berkman.
Quote:...Although the offense has continued to struggle since hitting coach Gary Gaetti was fired July 12, there's no doubt Taveras has benefited from his new old hitting coach."After Gaetti left and the new coach started working with me, it became easier," Taveras said. "(Berry) was with me in Double-A and it became easier. Gaetti never worked with me. We never went to the cages."Maybe he didn't want to change anything, and he never worked with me. I don't know if they told him not to help me. He didn't work with me."...
Quote: Outsiders also scratched their heads...
