Jon Jay remains confident at plate

CHICAGO -- With the Cardinals' outfield now a little bit more crowded with the return of everyday right fielder Ryan Ludwick, it stands to figure that center fielder Jon Jay might be forced to come off the bench in a pinch-hitting role a little more often than previously.

Batting .411 on the season in pinch-hit opportunities, Jay seems to already have quite a bit of comfort in those scenarios.

"Even if I was 0-for-15, I would still have the same confidence," Jay said. "I'm going to go out there and do my best. Sometimes you hit the ball real hard at somebody, and sometimes you hit a squibbler for a hit."

A leadoff hitter by trade, Jay likes to think of pinch-hitting as leading off a ballgame.

"I try to keep things simple and put the bat on the ball every time," Jay said. "I've been a leadoff hitter for most of my life, and when I go up there pinch-hitting, I just like to think I'm leading off the game. It might be the seventh or eighth inning, but that's just the way I go about it."

There are a lot of similarities between the two, as hitters are seeing a pitcher for the very first time and must quickly get back up to speed after not swinging a bat since batting practice.

With regular center fielder Colby Rasmus batting .237 since Ludwick went on the disabled list, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa might give Jay an extended look in center field, as he is batting .463 since he was called up on July 3.

"I don't know what's going to happen," Jay said. "It's great to have Luddy back, and it's great for our offense. Whatever my role is, it doesn't matter to me. I just want to be part of the team and help whatever way I can."



(mlb.com)