http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/...ent_id=2623237&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf
WE WASTED SO MUCH MONEY AND HES BEING A FUCKING BUM
SAN FRANCISCO -- Mike Krukow could have been talking about a member of the Green Berets or a Navy SEAL.
"You get down there and you get the search-and-destroy mentality," Krukow said recently.
The subject, however, wasn't counter-terrorism activity. Krukow was discussing Barry Zito's move to the bullpen, a likely temporary stint that, ideally, will give the struggling left-hander a fresh perspective on pitching's basic truths.
Throw first-pitch strikes. Challenge hitters. Maintain the aggressiveness which, Zito admits, has eluded him all too often while compiling an 0-6 record and a 7.53 ERA. Relievers are less concerned with pacing themselves for a six- or seven-inning outing or setting up hitters, as is the case with starters. Whether they're protecting a lead or entering a lopsided affair, relievers are striving to bring a game to its conclusion. They don't have time to mess around. Zito, although he'll likely make multiple-inning appearances out of the bullpen, can benefit from this mind-set.
Krukow, a 124-game winner in the Major Leagues who's now a Giants broadcaster, recalled being banished to the bullpen in 1987, the year after he finished 20-9 for San Francisco. Krukow emerged from that experience to win his last two starts of the season.
"The last thing they always tell you coming out of the bullpen is, 'Make something happen,'" Krukow said. "That's the attitude that got me back on board, and I think that's going to be the same thing that happens to Barry. Make something happen."
Performing aggressively can help any pitcher, regardless of his role. Why, then, do starters occasionally lose this focus?
"I don't know if I can answer that, but [relieving] just refocuses your objectives out there," said Giants right-hander Brad Hennessey, who has occupied virtually every role on the pitching staff since reaching the Majors in 2004. "I know when I was starting before I went to the 'pen, it was one of my main priorities, but it kind of gets lost in the process -- trying to get deep into the game and keeping the game close. You don't realize, sometimes, how effective it is to be ahead on the count."
If Zito enters a game in the middle of an inning in a tight situation, he'll have no choice but to concentrate on attacking the hitter.
"The last thing they always tell you coming out of the bullpen is, 'Make something happen.' That's the attitude that got me back on board, and I think that's going to be the same thing that happens to Barry. Make something happen."
-- Mike Krukow
"You're coming in with guys on base and you can't get behind [the hitter]. So it just helps you keep your focus on being in the zone," Hennessey said. "That's one of the things I really benefited from in my transition."
Instead of dwelling on his next start, Zito, a thoughtful sort, must simply react to whatever situation he's thrown into as a reliever -- another potential benefit.
"There's a spontaneity to the bullpen that takes away all the pre-thought," Krukow said. "You get the ball on the mound and just start cranking it. I think at this point it'll be something that really helps him."
Zito also will learn to become more energy-efficient, like an LED bulb.
"You don't have 15 minutes to warm up," said left-hander Pat Misch, who'll start Friday's series opener at Philadelphia and has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen. "Sometimes it might be 15 pitches, or 12 or 10."
To shorten one's warmup time, Misch recommended frequent stretching, starting as early as the third inning.
"So you stay loose all the time," he said.
As Yogi Berra allegedly said, you can observe a lot just by watching. As a starter, Zito would spend four days between appearances as a spectator. But without that assurance of an upcoming starting assignment, he might view the game a little differently. This happened to Matt Cain, when the Giants sent him to the bullpen with a 1-5 record and a 7.04 ERA in May 2006, his rookie season. Cain fired two perfect innings at Houston in his only relief appearance, then returned to the rotation by pitching a one-hit shutout at Oakland.
"It helped me a lot," Cain said of his bullpen stint, "because I was so caught up in everything that was going on, just the whole entire atmosphere. I was still new to the big leagues. It made me sit back and watch the game."
Sit back doesn't mean laid back. Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti pointed out that mild-mannered Russ Ortiz, an 18-game winner in 1999, was demoted to the bullpen to begin the season's second half in 2000 after posting a 4-8 mark and a 6.92 ERA. Ortiz regained his starting spot when Joe Nathan injured his shoulder and won seven consecutive games on his way to a 14-12 finish.
"You come back fighting," Righetti said. "If you're a competitive person, which [Zito] is, you find sometimes you need to light a fire one way or another."
Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
WE WASTED SO MUCH MONEY AND HES BEING A FUCKING BUM
SAN FRANCISCO -- Mike Krukow could have been talking about a member of the Green Berets or a Navy SEAL.
"You get down there and you get the search-and-destroy mentality," Krukow said recently.
The subject, however, wasn't counter-terrorism activity. Krukow was discussing Barry Zito's move to the bullpen, a likely temporary stint that, ideally, will give the struggling left-hander a fresh perspective on pitching's basic truths.
Throw first-pitch strikes. Challenge hitters. Maintain the aggressiveness which, Zito admits, has eluded him all too often while compiling an 0-6 record and a 7.53 ERA. Relievers are less concerned with pacing themselves for a six- or seven-inning outing or setting up hitters, as is the case with starters. Whether they're protecting a lead or entering a lopsided affair, relievers are striving to bring a game to its conclusion. They don't have time to mess around. Zito, although he'll likely make multiple-inning appearances out of the bullpen, can benefit from this mind-set.
Krukow, a 124-game winner in the Major Leagues who's now a Giants broadcaster, recalled being banished to the bullpen in 1987, the year after he finished 20-9 for San Francisco. Krukow emerged from that experience to win his last two starts of the season.
"The last thing they always tell you coming out of the bullpen is, 'Make something happen,'" Krukow said. "That's the attitude that got me back on board, and I think that's going to be the same thing that happens to Barry. Make something happen."
Performing aggressively can help any pitcher, regardless of his role. Why, then, do starters occasionally lose this focus?
"I don't know if I can answer that, but [relieving] just refocuses your objectives out there," said Giants right-hander Brad Hennessey, who has occupied virtually every role on the pitching staff since reaching the Majors in 2004. "I know when I was starting before I went to the 'pen, it was one of my main priorities, but it kind of gets lost in the process -- trying to get deep into the game and keeping the game close. You don't realize, sometimes, how effective it is to be ahead on the count."
If Zito enters a game in the middle of an inning in a tight situation, he'll have no choice but to concentrate on attacking the hitter.
"The last thing they always tell you coming out of the bullpen is, 'Make something happen.' That's the attitude that got me back on board, and I think that's going to be the same thing that happens to Barry. Make something happen."
-- Mike Krukow
"You're coming in with guys on base and you can't get behind [the hitter]. So it just helps you keep your focus on being in the zone," Hennessey said. "That's one of the things I really benefited from in my transition."
Instead of dwelling on his next start, Zito, a thoughtful sort, must simply react to whatever situation he's thrown into as a reliever -- another potential benefit.
"There's a spontaneity to the bullpen that takes away all the pre-thought," Krukow said. "You get the ball on the mound and just start cranking it. I think at this point it'll be something that really helps him."
Zito also will learn to become more energy-efficient, like an LED bulb.
"You don't have 15 minutes to warm up," said left-hander Pat Misch, who'll start Friday's series opener at Philadelphia and has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen. "Sometimes it might be 15 pitches, or 12 or 10."
To shorten one's warmup time, Misch recommended frequent stretching, starting as early as the third inning.
"So you stay loose all the time," he said.
As Yogi Berra allegedly said, you can observe a lot just by watching. As a starter, Zito would spend four days between appearances as a spectator. But without that assurance of an upcoming starting assignment, he might view the game a little differently. This happened to Matt Cain, when the Giants sent him to the bullpen with a 1-5 record and a 7.04 ERA in May 2006, his rookie season. Cain fired two perfect innings at Houston in his only relief appearance, then returned to the rotation by pitching a one-hit shutout at Oakland.
"It helped me a lot," Cain said of his bullpen stint, "because I was so caught up in everything that was going on, just the whole entire atmosphere. I was still new to the big leagues. It made me sit back and watch the game."
Sit back doesn't mean laid back. Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti pointed out that mild-mannered Russ Ortiz, an 18-game winner in 1999, was demoted to the bullpen to begin the season's second half in 2000 after posting a 4-8 mark and a 6.92 ERA. Ortiz regained his starting spot when Joe Nathan injured his shoulder and won seven consecutive games on his way to a 14-12 finish.
"You come back fighting," Righetti said. "If you're a competitive person, which [Zito] is, you find sometimes you need to light a fire one way or another."
Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
