MESA, Ariz. – The video and data could tell right-hander Adbert Alzolay that he was rushing his delivery with two strikes. That was why his slider kept drifting over the middle of the plate, especially to lefties.
For all the technology available to big-league pitchers, however, sometimes the root of the problem is a feeling. An unmeasurable, unscientific feeling.
“I was just getting too anxious to throw the ball,” Alzolay said.
That was no longer the case in the Cubs’ intrasquad “B” game Friday, and Alzolay’s slider responded, breaking toward the back foot of the left-handed batters he faced. He threw about 50 pitches Friday, logging five strikeouts, four of them swinging.
“To just keep slowing down the game is a big part for me,” Alzolay said.
It could be the key for him to eventually claim a rotation spot.
Alzolay entered the spring with his sights set on a starting role. The rookie’s competition had the advantage of experience. But he had the velocity and the arsenal. After throwing a hitless inning for his first Spring Training outing, Alzolay gave up eight runs to the Diamondbacks and Royals in three innings combined.
An MLB Players Association grievance will dictate whether or not Alzolay has a minor-league option remaining. That decision in turn could affect whether Alzolay makes the Opening Day roster. But no matter the where he starts the season, and in what role, Alzolay is expected to pitch plenty for the Cubs this year.
He already showed last season what he could do when the game slowed down for him, allowing just two hits to the White Sox in his final start of the year.
This year, Alzolay’s tools are even sharper. He’s more comfortable with the slider he added in 2020, and he put into practice a tip from veteran Jake Arrieta to give his curve ball more depth.
As for slowing the game down in high-leverage situations, experience will take care of some of that. But Alzolay has also been pleased with his progress over the past couple weeks.
“I try to (keep in) mind that I don’t have to make the pitch nastier than it is already,” he said. “I feel whenever I try to make a pitch, to make a pitch happen, is whenever I start making mistakes over home plate. But whenever I let myself flow on the mound and just drive to home plate like today, I feel that I’m in better rhythm, so I can command and control my pitches a little more.”
Against the Royals last week, Alzolay’s final line wasn’t particularly impressive: three runs and three hits in 1 2/3 innings. But the second inning began to spiral through no fault of his own.
With the Royals’ Emmanuel Rivera already on base, thanks to a groundball single just out of the third baseman’s reach, Nicky Lopez reached on a dropped third strike. Then, they both scored on an errant thrown down by catcher Willson Contreras.
The sequence could have shaken Alzolay. Instead, he induced a ground out from Whit Merrifield.
“I feel like I did a very good job at slowing the game down there,” he said, “just focusing on the next hitter.”
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