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12-07-2003, 04:16 PM
He's pitching in the Mexican League. He's working on his command. Interesting. :smokin:
12/03/2003 3:37 PM ET
Lopez working on his command
By Gary Washburn / MLB.com
BALTIMORE -- Rodrigo Lopez pitched nearly 300 innings in 2002, including winter ball. So after struggling in the final month of his rookie season, he decided to skip the Mexican Winter League and rest his right arm.
Perhaps Lopez would have changed his mind if he could have. He entered Spring Training without the crispness on his pitches and never got on track in 2003. He finished 7-10 with a 5.82 ERA in 2003, which included a six-week stint on the disabled list.
Lopez this winter returned to the Culiacan Tomato Growers, the same team he represented when scouts discovered him in 1999. After a stint with the Padres, Lopez signed a minor league deal with the O's in November 2001 and quickly emerged as their No. 1 starter the next season.
But Lopez struggled with his command in his sophomore campaign, then strained his left oblique muscle during a May start in Detroit. He never regained form and was inconsistent after returning from the DL.
He tossed a complete game against the Yankees on Aug. 28 but followed that with six earned runs in three innings at Oakland.
"We want him to be able to pitch like he did in '02," Orioles executive vice president Jim Beattie said. "His stuff was all good last year. That wasn't the problem. Command was his problem."
Lopez appeared to lack confidence in his fastball in stretches last season. Former manager Mike Hargrove and pitching coach Mark Wiley talked with Lopez about trusting his fastball more and not being so predictable with his slider. Lopez's slider is his best pitch, but club officials thought he relied too much on it for outs.
Beattie said the key for Lopez is to re-establish his mechanics during the Winter League and report to Spring Training with the same prowess that earned him Orioles team MVP in 2002. There were questions about whether Lopez would be a starter in 2004, but Beattie said he expects Lopez to be in the rotation.
"We need a lot of guys to step up and pitch well in 2004, including Lopez," Beattie said. "He definitely has the stuff, but it's a matter of throwing strikes. I think he saw that."
Lopez has struggled while playing for the Tomato Growers, going 0-3 with a 5.74 ERA. He has allowed 10 earned runs in 15 2/3 innings with 12 strikeouts and seven walks.
Excessive walks did not contribute to his lack of success in 2003 -- he had 43 in 147 innings. But Lopez does not have the velocity to get away with throwing the ball in the middle of the plate, hence 24 homers allowed last season.
But Beattie is confident Lopez can return to form.
"He needs to find out what he needs to do to stay in that groove and be successful," Beattie said. "It's not a matter of a better slider or changeups. It's command."
Gary Washburn is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
12/03/2003 3:37 PM ET
Lopez working on his command
By Gary Washburn / MLB.com
BALTIMORE -- Rodrigo Lopez pitched nearly 300 innings in 2002, including winter ball. So after struggling in the final month of his rookie season, he decided to skip the Mexican Winter League and rest his right arm.
Perhaps Lopez would have changed his mind if he could have. He entered Spring Training without the crispness on his pitches and never got on track in 2003. He finished 7-10 with a 5.82 ERA in 2003, which included a six-week stint on the disabled list.
Lopez this winter returned to the Culiacan Tomato Growers, the same team he represented when scouts discovered him in 1999. After a stint with the Padres, Lopez signed a minor league deal with the O's in November 2001 and quickly emerged as their No. 1 starter the next season.
But Lopez struggled with his command in his sophomore campaign, then strained his left oblique muscle during a May start in Detroit. He never regained form and was inconsistent after returning from the DL.
He tossed a complete game against the Yankees on Aug. 28 but followed that with six earned runs in three innings at Oakland.
"We want him to be able to pitch like he did in '02," Orioles executive vice president Jim Beattie said. "His stuff was all good last year. That wasn't the problem. Command was his problem."
Lopez appeared to lack confidence in his fastball in stretches last season. Former manager Mike Hargrove and pitching coach Mark Wiley talked with Lopez about trusting his fastball more and not being so predictable with his slider. Lopez's slider is his best pitch, but club officials thought he relied too much on it for outs.
Beattie said the key for Lopez is to re-establish his mechanics during the Winter League and report to Spring Training with the same prowess that earned him Orioles team MVP in 2002. There were questions about whether Lopez would be a starter in 2004, but Beattie said he expects Lopez to be in the rotation.
"We need a lot of guys to step up and pitch well in 2004, including Lopez," Beattie said. "He definitely has the stuff, but it's a matter of throwing strikes. I think he saw that."
Lopez has struggled while playing for the Tomato Growers, going 0-3 with a 5.74 ERA. He has allowed 10 earned runs in 15 2/3 innings with 12 strikeouts and seven walks.
Excessive walks did not contribute to his lack of success in 2003 -- he had 43 in 147 innings. But Lopez does not have the velocity to get away with throwing the ball in the middle of the plate, hence 24 homers allowed last season.
But Beattie is confident Lopez can return to form.
"He needs to find out what he needs to do to stay in that groove and be successful," Beattie said. "It's not a matter of a better slider or changeups. It's command."
Gary Washburn is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.