McRae Is Picking Up Pace : Baseball: Center fielder is batting only .199, but he has made his presence felt in the last week for the Royals.

For a guy hitting .199, Brian McRae is causing quite a stir.

The Kansas City Royals center fielder had the game-winning hits against Texas on Sunday and Chicago on Wednesday. On Tuesday, his game-saving catch in center left everybody slack-jawed.

“I’m feeling better. A lot better,” said the son of Royals manager Hal McRae. “I’m putting together two and three good at-bats a day now, and things are starting to fall. As for defense, that’s always been easy. I run and catch. What could be simpler?”

McRae’s slow-but-steady recovery from a horrible early-season slump seems to coincide precisely with the turnaround of the heart of the lineup. The three New York Mets imports -- Keith Miller, Kevin McReynolds and Gregg Jefferies -- all seem to be finding their way in the American League now.

Miller has been out of the lineup with a back injury. But they’ve all had a hand in the Royals’ recent drive toward respectability, and McRae’s increased production is helping make the difference.

His two hits Wednesday in the victory over Chicago pushed his average to its high point of the year -- .199. Nobody doubts it will climb higher and higher.

“I’ve always been pretty much of a slow starter,” said the 24-year-old switch-hitter. “It’s just the way I am. I usually end up picking it up a little earlier than I did this year.

“There’s no sense in trying to figure it out. All I can do is play hard and work hard every day. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t happen, it’s not going to be the end of the world.”

Being around the game his entire life has taught McRae a valuable lesson in dealing with tough times.

“I just try to make things as simple as possible,” he said. “The game’s hard enough as it is. When you start over-thinking things, you do yourself in for sure.”

Keeping things simple, however, doesn’t exclude hard work. Plenty of hard work.

McRae is a familiar sight around the batting cage, where he takes extra practice three or four times a week “no matter how good or bad I’m going.”

“I never doubted my ability to hit,” he said. “I was just hoping it would start happening earlier. I talked to guys on other teams and they all tell me the same thing -- just keep after it, nobody goes good all the time, don’t doubt your ability.”

His hitting may have slumped, but not his defense.

Chicago’s Ron Karkovice hit a line drive Tuesday that appeared to be going far over McRae’s head in center field. But with his back to the infield and almost on a dead run, McRae made a Willie Mays-like catch, saving a run in a tie game the Royals eventually won.

“It looks like he’s going to be a great center fielder,” said Chicago manager Gene Lamont. “He has great instincts, he’s quick and he’s fearless when it comes to banging into the wall.”

When his teammates are taking batting practice, McRae is frequently in the outfield making all sorts of catches.

“Those catches in the games, I make them three or four times a day in batting practice,” he said.

Even spectacular behind-the-back jobs?

“I’ve done that before. I work on getting my jumps,” he said. “Defense is pretty easy. Some people make hitting easy. Some make defense easy. I feel if I can get to the ball, I’m going to catch it. For somebody to hit the ball over my head or beat me in the gaps, they’re going to have to hit the ball very hard.”