Three is better than four?

Whatever I have done my last two appearances I would like to forget it. Today I came in a 12-4 game in the 9th, looking to be our first pitcher who did not allow the other team to score. I felt good going into the game, even if my bullpen catcher made a home run swing off me in the bullpen. 

From the start of the game, Asheville came to hit. A leadoff home run on the first pitch, a two run homer, and another solo home run were all hit within the first few innings. 

After six days off, I had my chance to throw up a zero. Unfortunately for me it ended with four runs, and three earned runs. I was pitching behind in the counts, not locating fastballs on the corners, and continuing to struggle with my change. When my coach came out to offer advice, I was told I was drifting too much, and to throw more change ups. I’m not sure where this  new found infatuation with my change up developed, but I’m doing my best with it.  I only threw three curve balls, one which was a base hit. I can not remember the last time that happened, it must have been a lazy curve on my part. 

In retrospect, I think I haven’t been as aggressive and arrogant if that is the right word on the mound. Pitching without confidence and being timid has lead to my poor results. Need to get my swagger back. I’m no longer using the I am new at this approach when talking about my pitching. Those days are behind me and I consider myself a full fledged pitcher. 

Going forward, I hope to be back on the mound soon and not have another six day waiting period. The quicker bounce back the better. My next outing will probably be against Augusta, a team I want to continue my success against. 

All of this is part of the development process. Once my first year is in the books then I can look back and pick apart each outing. Right now the goal is to get 3 outs in any way possible. 

Lexington

My first time in Lexington has come to an end. Next stop, Asheville. Where I made my debut.   

I couldn’t get a good picture from the bullpen because it is up the left field line. This picture was taken from the right center wall where it opens and we walk on the field. The stadium is nice and the locker room is pleasant, the field reminds me of Rome. Nice stadium back drop and a similar video board set up. 

The series was not good for the Rome Braves. We dropped all three in the contest but tonight’s game was a close one. The bullpen struggled throughout the series and hopefully next time I make an appearance I can help turn it around.

The next four games are in Asheville and now I will have four days off from my last outing. If there is rust, which I do not think there will be, it will come off against Asheville. The return to my debut, and now they are a first place team.  If the team can take them down three to four games then we can make up ground in the standings. To me, the second half is still wide open with around 40+ games left. At this point if any team gets hot then they are going to take the division. 

In the first half Savannah made a late push and won 10+ games in a row to somehow take the division. If we can get on a good hot streak everyone will be happy. Winning solves all of the feuds amongst the teams and generally makes everyone more tolerable. 

Hopefully after tomorrow I have good news to report about my stellar outing. Truthfully I want to throw as much as possible, if I had to throw every other day then so be it that is fine. I am here to develop, learn to pitch, and get better everyday. The best way for me to do that is to throw in games. Coming at you live from Asheville tomorrow. 

Ouch!

Well, it was tale of two Lakewoods. Three days ago against Lakewood, lights out. Tonight against Lakewood, lighted up. 

I came into the game in the top of the 11th in a 0-0 ball game. After a close play at the plate that would have won the game, I was summoned to give us a chance to win. 

I had a very uncharacteristic outing, and walked the first guy on four pitches. I wasn’t sure what I was thinking about, if the mound made me uncomfortable, but I know that those are just excuses. Another walk and a bunt later it was 1st and 3rd one out with their three hole approaching. I got him to 1-2 while he was trying to squeeze but I went with a changeup to get him out. Well he wasn’t bunting, and I threw it down the middle and watched it sail over the left field fence. The next hitter did the same thing on a change up, only the right field fence. 

The dreaded changeup. Today before the game Gabe and I had a nice catch and worked specifically on my changeup. Maybe I thought it was ready to throw in the game already, but my confidence was wasted. Going forward I know it will be a good pitch for me, but I’ve used it situations where I think a well located fastball or curve in the zone would be better. 

What did I learn? Walking guys is always bad. I already knew that but now I know even more. Throwing changeups need to be down, or they get hit out. It is my third pitch right now. It is a work in progress, but the last one I threw was a grohndout. My body language remained positive as far as I know. This is the first time I felt like I wasn’t competitive to the hitters. Sometimes I struggle but still give a battle, this time I felt like I handed them the game. 

It was a down outing for me, but now I get to bounce back. I’ve seen big league guys do the same thing, and they have the confidence to go back out night after night. I hope that is what the coaches are looking for, seeing me bounce back from a poor appearance. Also, if their trust in me late in the game is still there that would be nice. 

Off day tomorrow then a seven game road swing for the Braves. 

After sleeping and thinking about the game I was reminded of a Greg Maddux quote. He said sometning along the lines of a hitter will let you know if a pitch isn’t working. Yesterday the pitches weren’t working as they were intended. I tried something I was working on and it went sour. Now I know. The more times I throw it then the better it will get, and this blip on the radar shouldn’t deter me from throwing it. 

One Year

My one year pitching anniversary has come and gone. My debut with the Braves last year was July 14th. I was hoping to write about how I threw on my one year anniversary and everything went well. Instead, I looked outside and saw: 

 Not the best baseball weather. 

The game for Tuesday was cancelled, but made us play a double header today. We swept both games against Charleston and now open up a 4 game series against Lakewood, the Phillies A ball associate. I did not participate in either game, and with five days rest under my belt I anticipate that I will throw tomorrow.  

One of the requirements for being a Rome Brave is making appearances in the community. The last appearance I made was at the library with the kids. Today I volunteered to go to the community kitchen and serve lunch from 10:30-12. My task was to scoop the beans onto the plate and pass the plate. It went very smooth, and the lady next to me was a teacher. She gave me some pointers for this fall when I am back in the sub life. 

After that I hung around the field and did the usual routine for pregame. Today myself along with about six others, were interviewed for the pregame radio. The conversation started out with what Bloomington is like, and I told them it is cold in the winter. We talked about growing up a Cubs fan, but being divided with Cubs and Cardinals throughout town. My third base skills were brought up, but I tried to keep the conversation about pitching and the future rather than the past. 

Then the game was upon me. Lucky for me, the bullpen had a cool big league guy rehab guy to hangout with. Josh Outman is rehabbing with the team until Sunday, and I spent a good amount of time talking to him about his experiences up to this point. He has bounced around with a couple teams but this is his first as an Atlanta Brave. He is coming off a shoulder injury, and this was his first appearance outside the GCL. We are both Midwest guys, and I asked him about his winter throwing indoors. He said he throws out of his shed/garage area that is heated, into a net about a 100ft away outside. I never thought about doing that but I could give it a try this offseason.  

 These are my transfer papers from throughout the season. When I came to Rome the first time, when I was placed on Danville roster for a day or so, when I was actually sent to Danville, and when I was brought back to Rome. I wonder what happens if I don’t sign one, can they not approve the transfer? 

One last thing, there is a nice fan at the ballpark that takes photos. She has a few from the other day when we had the cool 4th of July hats.  

 Here is a good look at the hat in action, and myself practicing a good stare down. I thank Jennifer for her efforts because all the photos turn out very nice. 

If my calculations are correct we have around 50 games left. If I throw every 3 days and get 1-2 innings I have around 30 more to get. Having around 40 total innings would be a good sample size for me going forward. The first task is throwing tonight against the dreaded Lakewood Blueclaws! 

Gold Jackets, Green Jackets…

It wasn’t pretty, but we won. The series with the Greenjackets of Augusta is tied 2-2 with one more game tomorrow at 5:00. Tonight was my night to make an appearance against the team I threw against last Monday in my first appearance in Rome. 

It went similar, actual last time was a lot better, but in the end both outings were scoreless. This time I labored a lot more, threw more pitches, and had to make pressure pitches. I hit the first guy I faced with a curveball and you would have thought I shot him. If I meant to hit him then he would know about it.  When I needed to make the good pitches they were there. I threw the 7th, and 2 outs into the 8th, left with runners on the corners. My bud Roney picked me up and stranded the runners. Tomorrow we play then head home, off day Monday, then back it Tuesday against Charleston.  I have been throwing well and look forward to continuing, hopefully successfully, in front of the home crowd. 

I took this photo the other day from the dugout  

 In other baseball related news, we don’t stay in Augusta. The team is across the border in Aiken, SC. The drive after the game isn’t much fun because it is long, and we have routinely been getting back after midnight. The story I heard that we do not stay in Augusta is because a team was here at a closer hotel. There is a restaurant nearby that players would eat at, and one day a shady fellow approached them. He showed them that he had a gun, and that they weren’t welcome at the restaurant anymore. Now teams stay somewhere farther, but the hotel we are it is fine. It is close to multiple restaurants and groceries are a short walk away. 

Something also happened after the game that put a few guys on edge. After the game we have a spread and tonight was a good one. Chicken, beef, rice, a classic Mexican food spread. Well after the game the first 10 people in line were all people who did not play. Of course most of them take extra food that they won’t finish, and then by the time guy #30 gets through the line there is hardly any left. It is a small thing, but I doubt it changes as you progress up the ladder. People will always eat the spread before the tired and hungry guys have a chance to grab anything. Such is minor league life. 

Tomorrow should be an easy day for me with zero chance to throw. I am debating on ditching the bullpen and taking the game in from the dugout. There are a lot less gnats flying, more shade, and different people to talk to. That is my highlight, where will I be sitting? 

Another First

In my young pitching career I have had a few firsts along the way. Within the past year I have collected a win, a save, done everything you can do to a hitter, but one official metric happened for the first time yesterday. I was tagged with my first professional loss. 

I came into the game against Charleston in a 2-2 ball game 8th inning. The first inning was great I had trouble with the first hitter who worked a 3-2 count but flew out to second on a nice play by the second basemen. Next two guys were strike out strike out. That made me feel good. 

I went back out in the 9th hoping to secure extra innings. This is the first time I have been put in a situation where if the run scores then the game is over. I thought about that, but then realized I do a good job not letting people score anyway so this is just like any other situation. Well the first guy grounds to short stop but goes between his legs. Okay okay no problem. Next guy gets a strikeout bunting  I liked that. I allowed the guy on first to advance on a wild pitch but came back with the strikeout.

Guy on second two outs, don’t give the hitter a cookie because the base is open. I tried to get him to chase offspeed but fell behind 2-0 and intentionally walked him. The next hitter is a lefty and I remember him from my first visit to Charleston. I Kd him to end the game with all fastballs the last was up and he went after it. 

After a mound visit we decided upon a changeup 0-0 and hopefully get a roll over or swing. Well I left it more up and out rather than down and out. The ball flew past me quickly, and the game was over with no play at the plate. The pitch was described as horseshit and that was my feedback for the night. 

In retrospect and having a night of thinking. It was the right pitch but poorly executed by myself. My changeup is my third pitch and I didn’t have my full confidence behind it. Next time I thrown it with conviction and extend the game. 

I felt bad about losing the game for the team if you want to call it that, but I don’t want that feeling of letting people down to be a reoccurring theme. If I am continually placed in that situation then I’ll have more success than failure. I want to ask my coach for more feedback but I know that I did good with my other pitches and can build on that – I have some video of the good pitches that I watch everyday to build up confidence.  

 This makes me smile and gives me confidence. In the offseason I am going to make a compilation of my success, use it as a motivational video. 

In ways to improve the content on here, I have been thinking of doing player profiles. I know that media people do them, but this would be a more personal approach, hopefully open up to me more than a media guy. Obviously nothing too crazy they would get mad about if made public, but it would let you guys have more insight into future Braves. 

Currently on the bus to Augusta for five games then back to Rome. There are a lot of factors of when I will pitch next, but I think Friday/Saturday potentially. I threw Augusta last time, and contributing to a win against them would be awesome. Second half hype! 

Back in Rome

My first trip into Rome I was told I would throw in the first game but waited for three days until my debut came. This time I had the flight, the sightseeing, and 2.1 innings on the mound. 

It went very well. I came in down 4-0 and threw scoreless relief until I hit my pitch count. The reason I came out was so I could come back sooner and follow the schedule that gets me back onto the mound quicker. If it makes me throw more then I am all for it. The warm reception I received from the coaching staff, players, and clubhouse attendants was great. It was like I never left in the first place. Then once you are here, it is back to business as usual. There is no oh well you had a long day or you were in Danville etc, it is time to produce for Rome. If I earned myself a spot on the road trip that is all I can ask. 

In other baseball news, the pitchers had a ceremony with the coaches. It was a ceremony of reflection towards how the first half of the season went. Apparently our staff leads the league in: walks, hit by pitch, and wild pitches. We dug a hole back out behind the bullpen and read encouraging thoughts about pitching. We placed the stat sheets, the positive remarks, and a makeshift lucky charm into the hole and burned them with a newspaper. After the fire was out and the items covered, a few more encouraging words and it is a new month. A new month to produce, and 2.5 months left in the season. 

The second thing that happened today was my second kangaroo court. This time it was much more official and I think it was because we were in a rain delay. The coaches were all present, and skip had a towel to show it was his cloak. Other coaches were the jury members and there was a strict code of conduct. My fine was for tossing a ball to a little kid and hitting in the face. I thought he could catch, but the ice cream cone distracted him. 

The nine game homestand is almost over and after tomorrow’s game we head to Charleston for four. Then Augusta for five. Ten games versus Augusta right away to start the year. 

My status with the team is the same, just hanging out and seeing how long I can stay.  The staff hasn’t said anything to me so right now I’m planning on making the long road trip. 2.5 months to go in my inaugural full season adventure.