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Ace up their sleeve Phillies pleased with Schilling's progress
Posted: Tuesday April 18, 2000 12:45 PM
The Philadelphia Phillies are trying to contain their enthusiasm over Curt Schilling, who may be ready to start for them as soon as April 30. They think Schilling, who underwent surgery on his right shoulder in December, may be as good as ever -- if not better. Schilling's fastball topped out at 94 mph in a minor league game Saturday. Phillies manager Terry Francona said Schilling might wind up throwing harder than he did before the surgery by the time he gets to full strength. But what really has Philadelphia excited is that Schilling has developed an above-average changeup while working in Florida with pitching coach Johnny Podres. Schilling normally throws his splitter, slider and fastball hard, harder and hardest, so the changeup gives him a dangerous off-speed pitch. "On days when he didn't have a good splitter, Schill would really have to labor to put guys away," Francona said. "Guys might able to keep fouling off his fastball. This gives him another look." Whether Francona gives Schilling his usual high-inning, high-pitch count workload remains to be seen. In recent years Francona would leave Schilling in games because "it was my best way to win." Francona didn't have a proven closer or deep bullpen. Moreover, Francona knew Schilling "wasn't going to walk a guy leading off the ninth inning. You pretty much knew he wasn't going to beat himself." Schilling averaged almost eight innings and 111 pitches per start last year. Francona may not have to push him as much if closer Mike Jackson is healthy. Jackson recently received a cortisone shot in his aching right shoulder and tossed lightly off a mound over the weekend. If Jackson's healthy, Schilling won't see as many ninth innings as he has in the past. Meanwhile, the Phillies have done a nice job of keeping their heads above water without their staff ace through a brutal opening month of the schedule. Philadelphia was scheduled to play 15 of its first 23 games against the NL playoff teams from last year: Arizona, New York and Houston.
At the CopaTigers officials want to see how Comerica Park plays over a full season, but privately they acknowledge that they could shorten the distance to left field if they find that this pitcher's paradise is just too big. The Tigers can't move the left field stands, but they could build an inner fence to shorten the distance, as was done in the Astrodome and Busch Stadium. Such a move would help them convince Juan Gonzalez to sign a contract extension rather than leaving as a free agent at the end of the season.Meanwhile, the Copa, which became the first ballpark in 68 years without a home run in its first three games, is proving that you don't need a bandbox for exciting baseball. It's a great place for doubles, triples and managerial strategy. The Tigers had eight sacrifice bunts in their first 12 games. They had 35 all of last year. At this rate the Tigers could be the first AL club since Gene Mauch's 1986 Angels to put down more than 85 bunts. Just how big is the Copa? Here's my favorite story: Mariners pitcher Jamie Moyer was "working the bucket" during batting practice there. That means he stood behind a screen behind second base collecting baseballs. Players would shag the balls and toss them near the bucket for retrieval. "Except I had to walk halfway out into the outfield to collect most of the balls,'' Moyer said. "Guys couldn't reach me. Their throws would just die, especially because the outfield grass is so thick." And here's this line from Detroit pitcher Brian Moehler: "In this park there's no reason not to throw the ball down the middle of the plate.''
Once around the blockRangers reliever Jeff Zimmerman came out of nowhere to make the All-Star team last season. But ever since August, as hitters adjusted to his nasty slider the second time around the league, Zimmerman's been much more hittable. After giving up only five runs in his first 43 appearances, Zimmerman has been touched for 22 runs in his past 27 games.Here are the numbers on Zimmerman since his 29 2/3 scoreless innings streak ended Aug. 2:
Mr. Blackwell calling?In its continuing quest to copy the centralization of the NFL and NBA, Major League Baseball has instituted its own uniform police to enforce the ban on unlicensed apparel, as Ken Griffey Jr. recently found out. Griffey had to ditch the undershirt he wore with a stylized number 30 on the collar. And remember those numbers and initials players used to write on their caps to honor family members or teammates? Those are prohibited. Violations include fines for first and second offenses, and a suspension for a third fashion faux pas.
Angelic dealsNow that Anaheim has kept Garret Anderson away from free agency with a four-year, $20 million deal, the Angels want to make sure their outfield has no openings for years to come. Their next order of business is to get Darrin Erstad and Tim Salmon also locked up with multi-year deals.Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci covers baseball for the magazine. Look for his Inside Baseball column on CNNSI.com every Tuesday. To send a question to Verducci's Mailbag, click here.
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