Full Count » Five innings, five runs, and 71 text messages

WEEI.com Blog Network

Five innings, five runs, and 71 text messages

06.25.09 at 11:12 pm ET

WASHINGTON — Here is John Smoltz after his five-inning outing, in which he threw 92 pitches and surrendered five runs, four of which came in the first inning:

(Rough start, good finish) “I can’t be disappointed. I lost a little rhythm there in the first inning, which has happened three different times when I’ve been gone for a year and tried to slow down as much as I can. But I’ve got to give them credit. They battled me on seven, eight, and nine-pitch at bats. Made one bad pitch each at bat to give up a hit.

“But very encouraged by how good I can be, and how good I felt, and the stamina and everything going forward. I was really disappointed on the bloop hit. Two runs is two runs. Going to give up two runs. Felt like that was pretty much the unfortunate hit that put their young pitcher in a nice position to have a four-run lead against our lineup. All in all, most times if the line score is the way it is I’m going to be very disappointed, but I really can’t be at this point.

”A lot of hard work. Although I’d like that mulligan in the first inning, that’s the way it happens. Now everything will be normal for me.”

(On his velocity) “Yeah, there’s still some room for that to improve. I got a little anxious and jerked some pitches that is normal and that’s the thing, when you go through this process, everyone wants to come out and throw great, but I threw so many quality iptches I was pleased with that I know within a matter of a few starts I’ll be honed in to where I want to be, and hopefully not have, when I hit Nick Johnson, kind of sped things up a little bit. All in a all, lot of hits product of poor placement and good placement by them. Before you know it, it’s 4-0 and I’m saying here we go again. Fortunately, could have gone another inning. Felt that strong.”

(How he felt at the end) “Yeah, said I was good, but the situation in my first start and 90-something pitches, that’s what I was most disappointed about. I pitched myself out of a potential good game in that first inning with 35 pitches. I never felt couldn’t make a pitch, repeat a pitch, make an adjustment on a pitch.

“Once I got past the first inning, felt normal again. All encouraging signs for the future.”

(Going through all of his pitches) “I check them all off, except for the first inning, I started to feel for some pitches instead of throwing, and it cost me a couple of times. The best way to describe it is you get in that moment, you knmow it counts, trying to mak ehte best pitch you can. With some of those hitters, Josh Bard especially, he just battled me until I hung one. I made seven really, really good pitches in the at-bat and the one bad one he hit.

“Every time I got on the mound felt I can make those pitches. What’s happened fo rme was I made a lot of really, really good pitches early in the count with no conact, and with two strikes, have to make those pitches. That’s where I said my famiilarity will come back really quick in two to three starts.”

“Unfortunately it started out this way a few times in my career. Don’t get too worried about it. I was very encouraged by the stuff that I had tonight.”

(How this comeback was different than others) “It felt different because I had 71 texts today. It felt different because so many people were and have been rooting for me that’s what frustrates you. That’s what sturggled with most in first start. Wanted to do well for those people who have been so supportive.

“My buddy joked he flew up from Miami for one that last 1 2/3 innings. At least I got five innings today.”

“So much for going on eight days. I’m glad it’s over so I can resume the five-day rotation and do what every pitcher does, make improvements from game to game.”

“That’s what I feared most coming into this game, wanted to do so well for everybody involved, find self going, ‘How did I get here? How did four runs just happen?’ No matter if I’m 42 or 22, I feel like I can accomplish whatever I want this year. That’s why I came back, rehab went the way it did, now it’s just a matter of going out there and doing it like I did before.”

(On settling his nerves) “I did a good job actually until, for whatever reason, I hit Nick Johnson with a pitch that shouldn’t have been anywhere close to that. It’s like anything else. You come out with high expectations and you just know it’s one start. This was bigger than one start. I tried to downplay it as much as I could but getting interviewed all the way up until this point, it was hard to downplay it to the point where I think everybody, including the manager and the pitching coach are encouraged about the stuff that I had tonight. I think everyone was looking to see what I could possibly bring to the game and if you just look at the stats, you might be disappointed. But if you look at how the game went pitch by pitch, I’m very confident that I’m going to make those pitches.

“Again, as this plays on, you’ll see a pitcher in real good rhythm, hitting pitches, making pitches and certainly they’re going to get hits. The goal is to keep it off that – the right-hander squared up and got the double off the wall. But other than that, there wasn’t a whole lot of squared up balls. There was a couple of good-hit balls but when I make some better two-strike pitches, you’re going to see a more fluid pitcher. You want see the four-run first and stuff like that.”

(What about the slider) “The slider, I was very impressed and pleased with my slider. That’s been kind of an up and down pitch. The split, I just tip my hat. I don’t know how they fouled some of those off. And it was a lot. it was at least six to 10 foul balls that they reached and got that really set the flow and changed the flow of the at-bat. That pitch, I was very pleased with. I wasn’t out there grunting. I was out there trying to make my pitches with a fastball. I was very pleased with my velocity. The location and everything will just keep getting better. Tomorrow’s not as important as two days from today. That’s typically for me, that’s when I found out if a truck hit me or not. I’ve been working really hard, I’m in real good shape. And I don’t anticipate any issues. I’m certain this is probably going to be one of the more firm games that I’ve thrown. Again, I don’t feel the effects of anything other than – my legs were under me today. Mechanically I was right where I wanted to be. I can’t wait for my bullpen. I need to get through this weekend though. This weekend will be an interesting weekend for me. Once I get through this weekend, I can start relaxing and put my goals right where they need to be and help this team win a lot of games.”

(Potential for an increase in velocity) “I definitely have enough right now. The life on my fastball is probably better than I give it credit for. I probably didn’t establish enough fastballs as I look back at this game. but that’s just part of the process. I think the intensity of the game will show down the road. Maybe those numbers go up, but it’s irrelevant if the numbers go up and my ball goes up. I know what adjustments I have to make. I know what in-game adjustments today. I’m pretty astute in one thing, this type of game sticks in my memory and allows me hopefully for it not to happen again. When it did, I can just déjà vu answering questions about, can I really come back, can I really do this. Three and four years ago, I can just hear the same doubt. It quickly changed and that game gets forgotten. The patience will be just from the nice little stretch here to get myself acclimated to this team and you’ll see what happens when I get in my groove.”

(Did he have butterflies) “Time absolutely stood still. Each minute seemed like 10 minutes. I was warming up, I was warmed up a lot faster than I wanted to. But that’s a good sign. As I told john Farrell, I can slow myself down, I just don’t want to have to speed up. It just seemed like time was in slow motion. I tried to do that for myself, but it really was slow today. A lot slower than I wanted. And so when I got into the game, obviously you grind on making pitches. Probably the thing I won’t do again was the thing I did today. When the bases got loaded, I tried to be a little bit too fine. I tried to prevent them from scoring any runs. Sometimes when you do that, you give up more than you want to. No matter how many times you’ve ridden the bike, you have to sometimes go through the same things to remind yourself that you’re back engaged and like I said, I’ll look forward to my next start.”