Notes: McGowan has tough outing
03/06/2006TAMPA, Fla. -- Dustin McGowan sat at his locker after his short stay on the mound at Legends Field and tried to find an explanation for his poor showing. After a brief pause, he shrugged his shoulders and gave his answer.
"Just one of those days," McGowan said softly. "I've had a few of those."
McGowan gave up seven runs on six hits in one-plus inning against the Yankees on Monday. The 23-year-old right-hander was pulled in the second after yielding a two-run home run to New York second baseman Robinson Cano -- the fourth and fifth runs of the frame.
The statistics that resulted from his outing were the least of McGowan's concerns, though. He seemed to be struggling to figure out what exactly was at the root of his problems.
"Physically, I feel fine. I've got to find a groove out there where I'm comfortable," McGowan said. "Right now, I'm not comfortable and I'm on the mound thinking too much and things start moving too fast. I just have to find a way to slow it down and start pitching."
When McGowan was called up to temporarily join Toronto's rotation last year, he labored at times in the first few innings of a start. After getting through the first few frames, though, he had a tendency to find that "groove" and settle down.
He said those early-inning struggles weren't comparable to his current issues.
"It's a little different. I'm just not comfortable on the mound right now," McGowan said. "Everything -- my mechanics feel out of whack. And last year during the season, at least I felt normal on the mound; I just made bad pitches. Right now, it seems like I'm fighting a lot of stuff."
Toronto manager John Gibbons said the outing wasn't anything to worry about and the purpose of the preseason is to work out some of those early kinks.
"He's erratic. That's not him. He's trying to find it right now, and he will," Gibbons said. "That's why you have Spring Training."
McGowan didn't necessarily agree.
"I've been here for a while throwing. I should be close," he said. "I've had quite a few bullpens where I felt great, but now it's nothing like that."
McGowan also spent time in the Toronto bullpen last year and experienced more success in that role. Gibbons said McGowan could continue to be a reliever in the Majors, but the club is planning on sending him to Triple-A in order to get him more innings as a starter. McGowan could be called up if a pitcher in the rotation or the 'pen gets injured.
"He's a big part of the future here. There's no question about that," Gibbons said. "He'll iron it out. He's too good not to."
Power surge: Toronto entered Monday's game against New York with only two home runs in five games. Only one of those was official -- a solo shot by John-Ford Griffin against the Phillies on Saturday -- and neither of the long balls came from a Toronto Major Leaguer. The other came from Minor Leaguer Wayne Lydon in an exhibition game against Team Canada.
Against the Yankees, though, the Blue Jays went yard three times. New third baseman Troy Glaus hit a two-run homer off New York starter Chien-Ming Wang that fell about 10 feet shy of clearing the black backdrop in center at Legends Field. Glaus finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs.
"He has been taking some good swings," Gibbons said. "That's what we got him for. He's intimidating when he steps in there."
In the second inning, Eric Hinske pulled a pitch from Wang to right for a solo shot. In the fifth inning, Minor Leaguer Kevin Barker added a three-run homer.
Elsewhere: A few of the Blue Jays who left camp to compete in the World Baseball Classic took part in some exhibition games over the weekend. On Sunday, outfielder Alex Rios had an RBI single and a run scored in Puerto Rico's 6-1 win over the Mets, and center fielder Vernon Wells went 0-for-2 in Team USA's 11-7 victory over the Giants. On Saturday, Frank Catalanotto played left field and went 0-for-2 with a walk in Italy's 6-5 loss to the Tigers.
Quotable: "[I wasn't] getting ahead with quality fastballs. I got behind and had to throw it across the middle of the plate, and every time I did that, I got hit hard." -- McGowan, on his outing against the Yankees on Monday
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
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