Whats gotten into Nomar Garciaparra lately?
— Luis B., Downey, Calif. Nomar’s batting average is up about 12 points and, more telling, his slugging percentage is up about 20 points since Bill Mueller took over as hitting coach. But for the first month under Mueller, Garciaparra looked the same as he did when Eddie Murray was hitting coach. Since the last homestand, however, Garciaparra has shown noticeable improvement. Neither Garciaparra nor Mueller will talk about specific changes, only that Garciaparra has worked tirelessly to iron out mechanical flaws and that he has a better understanding of what he was doing wrong and how to correct it. Did the Dodgers keep the wrong pinch-hitter when they kept Olmedo Saenz instead of Marlon Anderson? — Gerry M., Philadelphia, Pa. Intriguing question if pinch-hitters excite you. Accepting the fact that both are proven at their craft, with Saenz right-handed and Anderson left-handed, it had to be a tough call for management. Neither exactly tore it up this year for the Dodgers. At least S
