DICKEY ADJUSTS HIS PACE
Knuckleballer wants to be better
After R.A. Dickey answered the requisite questions about his latest catcher — “there’s reason for optimism,” he said — the veteran knuckleballer acknowledged that he is taking the slow road this spring.
Dickey is in no rush. Riding the accelerator did not serve him well during the past two springs. In both of his years with the Blue Jays, he got off to a sluggish start and needed almost half the season to hit his stride. He is also 40.
“It would be folly for me not to try to change something, given the way I felt the last two springs coming out,” he said after allowing only a walk over two innings in his first spring start. “I need to try to make an improvement.”
Dickey studiously analyzes his statistics. His early-season numbers from 2013 and 2014 made him wince.
Over his first 16 starts of 2013, his ERA was 5.15. Opponents’ on-base percentage was .332. In his final 18 starts, the comparable numbers were 3.46 and .284.
He improved last year, but the trend persisted. First 14 starts: 4.20 ERA, .332 OBP. Last 20 starts, 3.41 ERA, .288 OBP.
Slowing down his springtime pace is not an exact science, but in the early going at least, Dickey is easing the intensity of his workouts between starts and bullpen sessions. And while he felt like he could have worked a third inning in Friday’s 5-4 win over the Orioles, he was more than content with two.
He certainly appeared dominant in a 26-pitch outing against a Baltimore lineup laden with reserves and minor-leaguers: no hits, a walk, three strikeouts.
Meanwhile, the spotlight shone again on Russell Martin, as it will every time he catches Dickey in his bid to take over the job from Josh Thole. Martin missed six knuckleballs, but Dickey said that figure alone is misleading. The quality of Dickey’s knuckleball, rather than Martin’s inexperience with the pitch, made catching it particularly tough on Friday, he said.
“There was only really one that I thought that he would have normally handled with a little more experience,” Dickey said.
“Outside of that, I threw two strike threes that were really good. One was on a 3-2 count to did a great job. He’s definitely got all the tools. It’s just a matter of working together.”