Kahrl: Talking pitching with Cleveland’s Trevor Bauer

From SABR member Christina Kahrl at ESPN.com on May 20, 2015:

Trevor Bauer delivered his second straight great start for the Cleveland Indians, shutting down the White Sox in a 3-1 win, striking out seven while allowing just seven baserunners in 7 1/3 innings. But more than delivering a result, he was delivering another example that his focus on his craft might make him the dominant starting pitcher people have expected him to be since he was taken with the third overall pick of the 2011 draft.

“I feel a little bit better mechanically,” Bauer said, reflecting on his success in this start after his 10-strikeout spin against the Cardinals on May 14. “I feel a little bit better attacking guys, my command’s been a bit better and my intent to throw the ball hard and to a spot. Everything follows after that: Tempo, and guys start changing balls out of the zone because you’re throwing more strikes.”

“He threw all of his pitches for strikes, maybe not always where he wanted to, but he had a real good breaking ball and in this cold weather — that’s something. And he made them respect all of his pitches,” manager Terry Francona observed after the game. “And because there weren’t a lot of high-pitch innings, he was able to pitch deep into the game.”

Read the full article here: http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/58358/trevor-bauer-changing-things-up-for-better-results



Originally published: May 20, 2015. Last Updated: May 20, 2015.