SARASOTA, Fla. -- Vince Velasquez is out to prove that he can be a starter again, and performances like the one he put forth in the Pirates' 7-4 loss to the Orioles on Wednesday afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium gave us a glimpse that he's capable of doing it.
Velasquez pitched three very strong innings, striking out three Orioles' hitters and facing just one over the minimum -- a two-out double by James McCann that should have been a single with Miguel Andújar misplaying the ball. It was one of those outings that makes a pitcher walk with a little pep in his step before addressing reporters in the clubhouse.
"Really good," Velasquez said. "I think eight out of 10 first pitch strikes just shows the amount of control that I had going into the game, controlling the tempo and everything else. I was really impressed with the results, and just pretty much controlling the outcome of the situation."
Results in spring training can be very fickle, so we have to look beyond a three-inning shutout in the first half of March.
Velasquez's splits with the White Sox last season between starting and coming in as a reliever didn't do him any favors regarding any comeback to a major-league rotation. He posted a 5.26 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 39 1/3 innings as a starter, compared to a 4.25 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 36 innings as a reliever.
However, Pittsburgh saw the potential in him to unlock something that's been there since he was a second-round pick of the Astros in the 2010 draft. On top of the mantra that Pirates pitchers will make a concerted effort to attack the strike zone this season, Velasquez's success will depend on his consistency mentally and mechanically, but also in what he can do with pitches other than the fastball.
"Commanding secondary pitches, I said that all all along, it's going to make things a whole lot easier for myself," Velasquez said. "Knowing that I'm a fastball guy is going to make things a whole lot easier."
Despite only throwing 93-94 mph, Velasquez's fastball is a plus pitch thanks to a lot of vertical movement. Hitters only batted .197 against it in 2022. On the flip side, hitters posted a .230 average against his slider and a .256 average against his curveball. But, if the breaking balls are thrown for enough strikes in the right counts to keep hitters off balance, it makes the fastball that much more dangerous.
Velasquez used the bullpen session he had in between Wednesday and his previous start to focus solely on attacking up in the zone with his fastball, but with the intention of getting a visual perspective on how his slider and curveball would play off of that, giving him a better feel for how to throw them for strikes.
"I think that was huge for me, going into this game and taking that (into account) and realize that once I start moving the ball around, it makes my secondary that much more competitive," Velasquez said. "Like I said, eight of 10 pitches being first-pitch strikes just shows that I'm controlling the momentum of the game, I'm controlling myself, my tempo and everything else, and I can work off of that. It makes things a whole lot easier. And again, that's the whole idea of going into this year. The whole model for myself is just taking control of the game, controlling the momentum of the game."
This isn't the easiest spring training to handle a lot of changes in order to turn one's career around. No, there aren't COVID restrictions to work around or lockouts shortening the time to prepare for the season. However, the implementation of the pitch clock as required all players to adjust to the new flow of the game.
For those watching the game at Ed Smith Stadium, Velasquez appeared to be locked in as if the pitch clock was giving him an opportunity to keep his foot on the gas and keep attacking hitters, not giving him time to stop and overthink things pitch to pitch. He got the ball back from Austin Hedges, stepped on the rubber, got the sign, and as soon as the batter was ready to go, it was time to attack again.
"With the time and everything that's being implemented, I think it's just important for me to simplify. Simplify, simplify. And, I think if I do that, I think the outcome will work in my favor," Velasquez said. "I've had so much time in the league, where I could honestly critique myself and really ... I would say, kind of, criticize myself by getting on myself for not throwing strikes, for not attacking the zone, for not throwing my stuff in the zone. ... I want to simplify this game as much as possible."
Velasquez now has five Grapefruit League innings under his belt with only one earned run allowed. Ironically, both outings have taken place at Ed Smith Stadium.
Once he gets to another field, specifically in big league ballparks when the games matter, he'll be tested much more on controlling the strike zone with pitches other than his fastball. But, days such as Wednesday give him a glimpse of the potential that's ahead.
"It's just nice to control your stuff and realize that once you establish the strike zone, it just makes things a whole lot more difficult on the offensive side," Velasquez said. "Controlling the at-bat, controlling the time, controlling the tempo of everything, it just make things a whole lot easier and in your favor."
MORE FROM THE GAME
• The Pirates got out to a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning after Cal Mitchell reached with a two-out single and Connor Joe drove him in with an RBI double. That lead didn't last very long as Austin Hays took Colin Holderman deep for a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth, then Jose Hernandez struggled in the fifth and Ryan Mountcastle made him pay for it with a grand slam to put the Orioles up, 7-1.
Mitchell has now hit safely in each of his three previous games, going 4-for-7 with a double. There are a lot of outfielder vying for so many spots, but Wednesday was another good step for Mitchell.
"I've been feeling good at the plate, at least in this early part," Mitchell told me. "More often than not, I'm able to put together a good at-bat. I'm happy about that. You try to do your best with every opportunity you have."
• The trio of Dauri Moreta, Yerry De Los Santos and Quinn Priester all pitched one shutout inning, respectively, to close out the game. Oneil Cruz drove in a run with an RBI single in the seventh and Canaan Smith-Njigba drove in two more with an RBI double in the eighth. Not enough to overcome the two long balls by Baltimore earlier in the game.
• Prior to Wednesday's matchup, the Pirates acquired utility man Mark Mathias from the Rangers in exchange for a player to be named later.
Mathias was designated for assignment on March 3 and spent a majority of the 2022 season at the Class AAA level, where he hit a combined .322 with nine home runs, 34 RBI and a .940 OPS in 58 games between Nashville and Round Rock. Mathias also played in six games with Milwaukee in 2022 before being acquired by Texas on Aug. 2. After joining the Rangers, Mathias hit .277 with five home runs, 16 RBI and a .919 OPS in 74 plate appearances.
The 28-year-old has played six different positions in his big league career, making 10 appearances in right field, seven at second base, six in left field, four at first base, two at third base and one in center field.
To make room for Mathias on the 40-man roster, Max Kranick was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
• The latest on Jarlín García from Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk: They are "still learning" regarding his left arm injury. However, initial studies are checking out clean on the elbow and shoulder, which means his UCL is intact. However, García can't grip a baseball right now and tests are ongoing. It's expected to be weeks, not days, before he's ready to pitch again.
Obviously, this throws a bit of a monkey wrench into the plans for the bullpen. The Pirates sought out more left-handed options for the bullpen,. and would still like to fill that García's role with left-handed options. However, guys won't win jobs just because of what hand with which they throw a baseball.
"We know that left-handers play well, especially at our ballpark, but it is a competition," Derek Shelton said Wednesday morning. "There is some meritocracy to what we do on our roster, so it’s not like we’re going to add one because they’re left-handed. There has to be a situation where we see it fits well in our bullpen."
• Robert Stephenson (elbow) threw a side session on Tuesday and is scheduled to throw another one on Thursday. The Pirates will reassess him afterwards. Kranick is throwing up to 115 feet on flat ground in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Next week will be a "de-loading" week for Kranick, which is common during the recovery process.
The prognosis for Termarr Johnson (hamstring) is about six weeks, according to Tomczyk. That's from the time he was injured, which was about two and a half weeks ago.
• Andrew McCutchen has certainly been the center of conversation among Pirates fans since he signed back in January. Cutch was the center of conversation among his teammates Wednesday morning, but for a vastly different reason.
Cutch rolled up to LECOM Park this morning in a new Sintor Truck, which, if you haven't seen in person, are massive. I walked past it leaving the complex to head to Ed Smith Stadium, and the bed of the truck was as tall as I was, and I'm just a hair under six feet tall. The horn is also very, very loud, making some teammates think a train was passing by the complex.
It's a beautiful truck. But, man, it dwarfs anything and anyone next to it.
• This was the first baseball game I've covered with the pitch clock, and the game lasted a whopping 2:17. I'll echo the same sentiment that Dejan Kovacevic and Alex Stumpf have already declared: Long live the pitch clock!
