So Taguchi went 2-for-3 with a walk and scored a run as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 on Wednesday.
Taguchi led off the second inning with a single to right off Zach Duke, stole second and scored on an Aaron Miles RBI single for a 2-0 lead at Busch Stadium. He also singled to left, walked and struck out swinging.
"My hitting sense is coming back gradually. I've started feeling better at the plate," said Taguchi, who is hitting .440 against left-handers and .103 against right-handers.
"Earlier in the season, there were many ups and downs in my hitting performance," he said.