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Buchholz 'tweaks' his delivery |
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Friday, 30 May 2008 |
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By BRENDAN MCGAIR Sports writer PAWTUCKET – The adjustment is hardly noticeable, but to Clay Buchholz, moving his release point a few inches away from his head could hasten his return to the Red Sox.
Scheduled to make his second rehab start tonight in Durham, Buchholz is simply looking to pick up where he left off last Sunday, when the no-hit kid tested out his ever-so-slight tweaking of his delivery against live competition.
According to Buchholz and Pawtucket pitching coach Rich Sauveur, his new motion calls for him to separate his hand a few inches from where he was prior to landing on the disabled list with a split fingernail. The delivery is dated back to Buchholz’s days at Angelina (Texas) Junior College.
Spreading his hands apart to demonstrate just how slight the alterations are, Buchholz remarked, “When I was in Boston earlier this year my hand was up high, but now the delivery is much more natural.”
“His arm slot is four to five inches different. Before, his old delivery had him moving his head out of the way in order to get his arm through his arm slot,” said Sauveur. “His new delivery is actually an old one from college; he’s now [getting his hand] further away from his head.”
Buchholz came here with one specific instruction: feature the fastball more than he did in the eight starts he made with Boston. Part of the reason why Buchholz was hit-and-miss (record was 2-3) and an ERA approaching six was that the 23-year-old was falling in love with his off-speed pitches a tad too much.
Yet because Buchholz is blessed with as PawSox manager Ron Johnson has dubbed “a plus fastball,” the Red Sox thought it would be in the pitcher’s best interest to establish a pattern of throwing more heaters.
That’s exactly what Buchholz did in four-plus innings against Rochester. His first 10 pitches were fastballs. The changeup and curve weren’t unveiled until Johnson and Sauveur were completely satisfied.
“He had a high percentage of fastballs the last time out. We had him at around 80 percent and the Red Sox told us they wanted 60,” said Sauveur. “You have to have fastball command in order to have success.
“I think Clay had more confidence with his off-speed stuff before,” said Sauveur. “They want him to feel that way with his fastball.”
After throwing a few pitches with his “new” motion, Sauveur noticed Buchholz going back to old tendencies. Buchholz did walk the first batter he faced, but responded with a groundout and strikeout.
“When he overthrows, he goes right back [to the old slot],” said Sauveur. “He probably didn’t think the velocity was there with the new slot, but I thought the third or fourth inning he was much better.”
“It’s more of a change than an adjustment,” said Buchholz. “I was trying to get a feel [in the first inning against the Red Wings].”
The biggest impact could be the attainment of more life on Buchholz’s fastballs. The radar gun posted in right field at McCoy Stadium indicated as much, generally residing in the mid 90s.
“I thought the ball came out of my hand more natural,” admitted Buchholz. “I didn’t have to throw as hard [in order to obtain more zip].”
Sauveur was sent video from Boston pitching coach John Farrell prior to taking on Buchholz as a client. When the two sat down to view the tape from Sunday’s outing, they compared it to where Buchholz was at prior to getting disabled.
“You tell there’s a little difference by watching,” said Buchholz.
“If you watched tape [prior to Sunday], you noticed he was falling off to the side,” said Sauveur, who was pleased with Buchholz’s side session earlier this week. “He knows exactly what he has to do.”
Buchholz will utilize the same game plan tonight against Durham. There might be more secondary pitches featured, but Buchholz understands what is expected from as he continues to work his way back to Fenway Park.
“Everything will take care of itself once I fine tune my mechanics,” said Buchholz. |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 07 June 2008 )
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