LaRoche can't find that elusive stride

MILWAUKEE - Most find it surprising that the Atlanta Brave with the best slugging percentage in the second half of last season wasn't anyone by the name of Jones.

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Actually, it was rookie first baseman Adam LaRoche, who hit .354 with a .684 slugging average in the final 27 games in 2004.

Late August 2005 finds LaRoche, hitting .251 in 111 games, in a defined sophomore slump.

For the past week, LaRoche has pretty much summed up a power outage that's hit many Braves, who have scored a total of five runs the past three games.

Entering Saturday night's game in Milwaukee, LaRoche was 0 for his past 21 dating to a 4-for-5 day Aug. 19.

"There you go. That's baseball," said LaRoche, whose average has dipped 15 points in that stretch. "Felt great one day, woke up the next day and wasn't seeing it anymore. What it is, I'm trying to find out."

Jeff Francoeur's not labeling his week a slump just yet, but he has struggled to get on base like he did in previous weeks. He's in a 2-for-16 rut, and one of those hits was his first bunt that he can remember.

"For a few weeks there, I was seeing the ball huge," said Francoeur, not ready to slap the Sports Illustrated cover jinx on himself just yet after two three-hit games last weekend. "It'll come around. I still feel good up there."

LaRoche's personal skid has particularly been irritating, he said, when he gets into a situation to drive in runs and fails.

That's happened several times the past couple of weeks to the middle of the lineup, including the sixth inning of Friday's 3-1 loss to the Brewers.

Runners were at first and second with none out, and Chipper Jones struck out and Andruw Jones and LaRoche flew out. LaRoche said he missed the pitch from Milwaukee ace Ben Sheets by "a half-inch."

"That's the story of the last week," he said. "When you're not going good, you just miss those balls. When you are going good, it's 10 rows deep."

LaRoche also admitted frustration with the fact that he's never hit any sort of consistent stride this season, despite it being his second go-round in the league. That's in direct contrast, he said, with the way he felt at the end of his rookie year.

"I planned on doing that again this year in the second half, to kind of get rolling," LaRoche said.

Working daily with hitting coach Terry Pendleton will eventually pay dividends, LaRoche said.

Because of his slow, looping swing that requires deft timing, Pendleton said coaching LaRoche back to batting health can be trying.

"He's beautiful when he's hitting," the 1991 batting champ said, "and a ton of work when he's not."

Reach Travis Haney at travis.haney@morris.com.