Eveland speeds up
Posted By Jeff Fletcher on April 26, 2009 4:03 pm
I actually made it to an A’s game today, saw them beat the Rays 7-1 to take two of three in the series. A lot of good things happened for the A’s, including Orlando Cabrera getting a couple of hits to lead an offense that has awakened. I was never too worried about the A’s hitting. I figured it would be good enough.
To me, the big item of the day was that Dana Eveland finally had a good start, albeit only five innings. One of the big differences for Eveland was that he sped up his tempo. Eveland said manager Bob Geren had suggested to him before the game that he try to work a little quicker.
“It’s better not to think too much,” Eveland said. “I know when I’m at my best I try to do that, but it’s tough when you are struggling. It’s hard to stop from getting off the mound and taking a breath. It seems like a good idea, but sometimes that’s not a good thing.”
Eveland is the A’s most experienced starter. They’re going to need him to give them consistent outings if they are going to do anything.
kind of like “see glove…throw ball”, huh?
Overthinking is a pretty big problem for pitchers, especially ones in funks, like most of the A’s pitchers have been in. Especially Eveland. I mean, he’s never going to be an all-star caliber pitcher, but he should be solid. It will be interesting to see if he can string two decent starts together with his new, expedited approach.