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07-15-2006, 09:39 PM
I guess young Adam's trip to the minors did him good! :thumbsup:
O's Loewen benefits from minor league experience
Orioles pitcher went 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA in the minors
By David Ginsburg
The Associated Press
Originally published July 15, 2006, 5:47 PM EDT
Adam Loewen believes he's a better pitcher than the last time he performed for the Baltimore Orioles.
Loewen, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2002 amateur draft, went 0-2 with a 7.12 ERA in seven appearances--including five starts--before being sent to Triple-A Ottawa on June 25.
Instead of sulking, the rookie used the demotion to sharpen his skills.
"I just went down with the attitude that every time I got to pitch, I'd pretend I was pitching in the major leagues," Loewen said Saturday.
He went 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA in three starts with the Lynx, and now he's back in Baltimore after being promoted on Friday. Loewen is expected to start Monday against Oakland.
During his first stint with the Orioles, Loewen had trouble with his control and often was around 100 pitches in the fifth inning. That's the main reason the team decided to send him to Ottawa.
Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo recalled telling Loewen, "Look, go down there. Your stuff's good enough. Just go dominate and get back here."
Loewen followed the instructions to the letter.
"I think it was a good experience. I definitely needed it, just to have that confidence of three good outings. Now I can build on it," the left-hander said.
Loewen's return coincided with the demotion of Daniel Cabrera, who received the same sort of speech that Loewen got before being sent back to the minors. Loewen wouldn't speculate whether Cabrera will benefit from the move.
"I don't think it's fair for me to put words in his mouth, but for me it was huge. I think I'll be better for it," he said.
The next time Loewen walks to the mound, his focus will be to simply get the ball over the plate.
"I'll throw fewer pitches. I don't think I'm going to get into deep counts all the time and be afraid of contact," he said. "If he gets a hit, he gets a hit. I just want to attack the zone and give myself the best chance to go deep in a game."
EDDY'S BACK, TOO
Much like Loewen, Eddy Rodriguez hopes to have benefited from a trip to Ottawa following an uneven stint with the Orioles.
Rodriguez spent two weeks with Baltimore at the end of April, going 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA in five relief appearances. The right-hander excelled with Ottawa, and was summoned by the Orioles on Friday to provide help to a struggling bullpen.
Rodriguez was warming up for a game in Ottawa when he received word of his recall. He arrived late Friday night and joined the team on Saturday.
"When I was down there I was working with, No. 1, my control. Throw a first-pitch strike, not fall behind in the count," Rodriguez said. "Second, I was working with my off-speed pitch, throwing it in any count for strikes."
Like Loewen, Rodriguez knows he must throw strikes to stay with the big-league club. "I wasn't throwing first-pitch strikes. It was 2-0, 2-1," he said. "I worked on that and did a pretty good job to get back here."
PATTERSON SITS
Luis Terrero got a rare start Saturday in place of slumping Corey Patterson, who was batting .129 (4-for-31) over his past eight games.
"Corey's been struggling of late. We thought we'd give him a day off, let him get his mind together a little bit," Perlozzo said. "We got Luis up here to do some things. We'll see if we can't get a couple hits out of him today."
Terrero entered the game looking for his first hit of the season. He was 0-for-17 and went hitless in his first two at-bats, but thrilled the crowd in the fourth inning by making a fine catch in center and doubling up the runner at first base.
Copyright © 2006, The Associated Press
O's Loewen benefits from minor league experience
Orioles pitcher went 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA in the minors
By David Ginsburg
The Associated Press
Originally published July 15, 2006, 5:47 PM EDT
Adam Loewen believes he's a better pitcher than the last time he performed for the Baltimore Orioles.
Loewen, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2002 amateur draft, went 0-2 with a 7.12 ERA in seven appearances--including five starts--before being sent to Triple-A Ottawa on June 25.
Instead of sulking, the rookie used the demotion to sharpen his skills.
"I just went down with the attitude that every time I got to pitch, I'd pretend I was pitching in the major leagues," Loewen said Saturday.
He went 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA in three starts with the Lynx, and now he's back in Baltimore after being promoted on Friday. Loewen is expected to start Monday against Oakland.
During his first stint with the Orioles, Loewen had trouble with his control and often was around 100 pitches in the fifth inning. That's the main reason the team decided to send him to Ottawa.
Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo recalled telling Loewen, "Look, go down there. Your stuff's good enough. Just go dominate and get back here."
Loewen followed the instructions to the letter.
"I think it was a good experience. I definitely needed it, just to have that confidence of three good outings. Now I can build on it," the left-hander said.
Loewen's return coincided with the demotion of Daniel Cabrera, who received the same sort of speech that Loewen got before being sent back to the minors. Loewen wouldn't speculate whether Cabrera will benefit from the move.
"I don't think it's fair for me to put words in his mouth, but for me it was huge. I think I'll be better for it," he said.
The next time Loewen walks to the mound, his focus will be to simply get the ball over the plate.
"I'll throw fewer pitches. I don't think I'm going to get into deep counts all the time and be afraid of contact," he said. "If he gets a hit, he gets a hit. I just want to attack the zone and give myself the best chance to go deep in a game."
EDDY'S BACK, TOO
Much like Loewen, Eddy Rodriguez hopes to have benefited from a trip to Ottawa following an uneven stint with the Orioles.
Rodriguez spent two weeks with Baltimore at the end of April, going 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA in five relief appearances. The right-hander excelled with Ottawa, and was summoned by the Orioles on Friday to provide help to a struggling bullpen.
Rodriguez was warming up for a game in Ottawa when he received word of his recall. He arrived late Friday night and joined the team on Saturday.
"When I was down there I was working with, No. 1, my control. Throw a first-pitch strike, not fall behind in the count," Rodriguez said. "Second, I was working with my off-speed pitch, throwing it in any count for strikes."
Like Loewen, Rodriguez knows he must throw strikes to stay with the big-league club. "I wasn't throwing first-pitch strikes. It was 2-0, 2-1," he said. "I worked on that and did a pretty good job to get back here."
PATTERSON SITS
Luis Terrero got a rare start Saturday in place of slumping Corey Patterson, who was batting .129 (4-for-31) over his past eight games.
"Corey's been struggling of late. We thought we'd give him a day off, let him get his mind together a little bit," Perlozzo said. "We got Luis up here to do some things. We'll see if we can't get a couple hits out of him today."
Terrero entered the game looking for his first hit of the season. He was 0-for-17 and went hitless in his first two at-bats, but thrilled the crowd in the fourth inning by making a fine catch in center and doubling up the runner at first base.
Copyright © 2006, The Associated Press