ST. LOUIS • When Cardinals outfielder Randal Grichuk returned to Class AAA Memphis to see a familiar face, he also heard a familiar refrain.
It’s a mantra that Triple-A hitting coach Mark Budaska has given many of his charges – a tuning fork of sorts for their swings. He stresses two things:
Rhythm and timing.
Rhythm and timing.
Rhythm and timing.
That resonated with Grichuk, who felt in the majors that he had no rhythm at the plate and was just having a lousy time.
“I definitely feel like when I went down there I was still trying to work with my swing and still trying to work with the mental side of being confident and knowing what I can do every day,” the outfielder said late Tuesday night after returning to the majors.