BRADENTON, Fla. — Tyler Glasnow is finally showing signs of being able to throw strikes consistently to major-league hitters, and he's accomplishing that long-elusive goal with a not-so-simple adjustment. The 6-foot-8 right-hander is now throwing his four-seam fastball over the top, rather than allowing his hand to throw the pitch across his body.
The adjustment — which Glasnow was unable to execute at Ray Searage's urging long ago — has given the former top prospect more control on natural late cutting action. The Rays discovered on Saturday afternoon how difficult it can be to hit an unpredictable, sometimes-sweeping fastball moving at 98 mph.
Pitching in relief for the first time this spring, Glasnow struck out six, walked none and allowed two earned runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings of the Pirates' 7-5 win at LECOM Park. Now, he'll try to continue using the pitch effectively in his new job in the bullpen.
"For me, it’s a lot easier to throw for strikes than a normal straight four-seam," Glasnow explained. "My entire pro career, I’ve been trying to find ways to get rid of the cut, and I’ve been trying to find ways to stop getting it to cut thinking it was wrong, but now this straight-on thing is easier for me to get right there and throw it."
Upon entering in the fourth, he struck out Curt Casali with that cutting fastball on the outside of the plate. Then, he used his curveball in the dirt to make Adeiny Hechavarria swing and miss for strike three to end the inning.
This was a regular occurrence during his outing:
Tyler Glasnow, 98mph Fastball/Cutting Action. pic.twitter.com/Vn7xph5nuD
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 24, 2018
Glasnow used the action on the four-seam fastball to complement his curveball, which was a pitch he focused on utilizing at the end of last season. It helped him in the fifth inning after allowing a leadoff single to Joey Wendle, as Glasnow struck out Matt Duffy with an inside curveball to strand the runner.
Glasnow has 25 strikeouts to only five walks this spring, and his adjustments during his past two outings, including a focus on throwing inside to right-handed hitters, have led to better results. The former fifth-round pick has allowed three earned runs with 12 strikeouts to two walks in his last 8 1/3 innings.
That success came after Glasnow was tagged for eight runs in his first three starts. Clint Hurdle isn't one to overreact to spring production, but he said signs of progress can be important for Glasnow after all he's been through in the major leagues.
"Those are good numbers," Hurdle said. "Another three days we’ll wipe them all out, and we’re going to see where he can take it, but it’s going to help his confidence. There are sequences where there are big-league hitters. It’s not a back field. It’s not a Triple-A game. We believe in him."
They believe in him so much that they're giving him a spot in the bullpen over more experienced relief pitchers despite the fact he has a 6.75 ERA, 1.875 WHIP and 57 walks in 85 1/3 major-league innings over the past two seasons. The logic behind such a move is that Glasnow and Steven Brault can serve apprenticeships after they've had success against hitters in their time at Triple-A.
Although Glasnow's progress is on display, he's still fighting bouts of inconsistency. After two clean innings, Glasnow ran into trouble in the sixth. He allowed a leadoff single to Brad Miller, who stole both second and third base to take advantage of Glasnow's weakness in the running game.
Wilson Ramos then hit an RBI single and Hechavarria hit a fastball that didn't cut over Adam Frazier's head in center field for an RBI double. Glasnow was pulled in the seventh inning after allowing a one-out single, but his first foray into relief pitching this spring was a sign to him that his recent adjustment has helped his command.
"I’m trying to throw the ball straight over-the-top with angle," Glasnow said. "Always, since I was a kid, I would always get on the side of it. I’m just going to embrace it now. I’ve always tried to get rid of that and try to figure out how to be more on time, and now I’m just embracing it. It’s easier for me to throw strikes with it, too."
Glasnow, though, will have much to prove when he begins the season in the major leagues. Searage said on AT&T SportsNet's broadcast of the game that Glasnow and Brault won't be limited to long relief, so both could face high-leverage situations at times. Glasnow said he'd be "comfortable" entering a game with runners on base and downplayed the significance of having to establish a routine as a relief pitcher.
He expressed relief at making the opening day roster, and quickly shot down a question when asked if his new role could prepare him when or if he's needed in the rotation.
"Right now, I know it's cliched, but I’m really just taking it a step at a time," he said. "Whatever happens happens, but I’m feeling really good right now."
• Ivan Nova, making his final start of the spring, allowed two runs on five hits in three innings, striking out three and walking one. Typically, the final start is a tuneup for opening day, but Nova said he used his minor-league start at Pirate City on Monday for that purpose.
He also revealed to reporters that his four-seam fastball was registered at 95 mph on Saturday, which will complement his 91 mph sinker better.
"My focus that day was unbelievable," Nova said of his 100-pitch minor-league start. "Today was good. I was really on my game. But if I have to take one above the final one, I’d take the one on the minors side because I know they’re going to swing at everything and you have to make good pitches to get quick outs and stuff like that. I came back here, worked on what I needed to work on and I'm ready to go.'
• Francisco Cervelli hit a two-run homer in the second inning — his third this spring — and has 12 hits in his last 25 at-bats. He's hitting .375 this spring with 9 RBIs and six walks to five strikeouts in 32 at-bats.
• First baseman Will Craig, a first-round draft pick in 2016, hit a solo home run in the seventh inning and drew a two-out walk off former Pirates relief pitcher Daniel Hudson in the eighth. Craig will likely begin the season at Double-A Altoona.
• Corey Dickerson made an ugly defensive play in left field during the third inning, when he mistimed a jump near the wall, allowing a ball to hit off the web of his glove and fall for a double. One batter later, Duffy hit an RBI double to allow Kevin Kiermaier to score, cutting the Pirates' lead to one run.
• Josh Harrison went 2 for 4 with an RBI double and Jose Osuna added an RBI double in the seventh.
• Hurdle's lineup for the game:
1. Josh Harrison, 2B
2. Gregory Polanco, RF
3. Starling Marte, CF
4. Josh Bell, 1B
5. David Freese, DH
6. Francisco Cervelli, C
7. Corey Dickerson, LF
8. Colin Moran, 3B
9. Jordy Mercer, SS
• The Pirates will play the Blue Jays in Dunedin on Sunday at 1:07 p.m. Joe Musgrove is scheduled to start with Kyle Crick, Josh Smoker and Kevin Siegrist in relief. Hurdle will spend the day at Pirate City, rather than managing the game.
