OAKLAND, Calif. — LHP Scott Kazmir said a small adjustment in his stride should result in a big improvement in his pitching tonight.
Kazmir has been a mess lately, struggling to throw strikes due to problems with mechanics. He has failed to last six innings in eight of his past 10 starts and didn't get through five in his past two.
After talks with manager Joe Maddon, pitching coach Jim Hickey and assistant Brian Anderson, Kazmir said he adjusted his stride in a bullpen session Friday, and the results were obvious.
This is what Brian Anderson talked about when he was on Rays TV a week or so ago. I remember him saying that he would recomend waiting to shorten the stride until after the season, but I guess he took the initiative to do it mid-season. If we can get the early season Scott Kazmir back, that would be a big boost. For reference, Scott Kazmir's Ball-Strike counts in his first first 8 starts, and his last eight starts:
|
Time |
Balls |
Strikes |
Strike Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
|
First Eight Games |
282 |
545 |
66% |
|
Last Eight Teams |
302 |
502 |
61% |
As we can see, Kazmir has been missing a lot more lately. Shortening his stride has to be good news.