After 5 games M's have out-scored their opponents 46-19 and have led in 42 out of 46 innings.
I know - it's only spring training. But hey - it's baseball and, so far, so good :-)
Washburn's fastball has a new wrinkle | Seattle PI
Jarrod Washburn likes to make jokes about his breaking pitch -- or lack thereof.
The joke is that the Mariners left-hander isn't throwing a breaking ball at all. Not during the two innings he worked in a 5-3 Cactus League victory over the Chicago White Sox in Glendale, Ariz., on Monday, and not during his side workouts.
"There are five or six weeks left in the spring," he said after facing seven batters, giving up one hit and no runs. "There's plenty of time to refine the pitch. I don't have a great breaking ball, anyway."
Maybe not, but he has managed to survive in the big leagues with a decent amount of movement on his fastball. This spring, thanks to a minor hip alteration during his delivery suggested by pitching coach Rick Adair and bullpen coach John Wetteland, his fastball may have more movement than ever.
"It was something simple they suggested," Washburn said, being purposefully vague. "It allows me to get out in front farther."
That gives the ball a tad more whoosh as it gets to the plate.
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On the other hand, movement in the desert air doesn't always translate when teams head north. Most pitchers will tell you that the ball doesn't move as much in Arizona, but Washburn says it's just the opposite for him. So the Mariners won't know until April if Washburn has added a significant wrinkle to his game.
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