BOSTON - The metamorphosis is nearly complete.
Curt Schilling spent a majority of his stay in Fort Myers finalizing a plan that has been in the works for a few years now - fewer pitches thrown, perhaps a bit more contact, but a far greater variety when it came to velocity and appearance.
Yesterday, the entire package went on display in Boston's 8-0 victory over the Angels at Fenway Park.
"He used to be just all fastball and split, but now he's throwing more pitches and he's throwing them for strikes," said Eric Hinske, who went 2 for 3 with three runs in his start at first base for the Sox. "I remember four-seamer up in the zone, split down in the zone, and occasionally something else. Never a changeup. It looks like he's added to his repertoire."
The Red Sox starter went eight innings, giving up four hits and no runs while throwing 103 pitches, Schilling's highest total in three starts. Good numbers, no doubt.
But a closer look identifies just how effective he was. Using his newly-discovered changeup on multiple key occasions, Schilling averaged just 3.55 pitches per at-bat, which is considerably better than the 4.23 clip he was maintaining after his first three starts (all wins) last season.
And while the final total number of strikeouts only amounted to four, all were swinging. Twelve of his 15 strikeouts this season have come on swings and misses.
In fact, despite the perception that Schilling can't get it by hitters like he used to, he has now averaged 8.16 swings and misses per game this season, better than that of both his first three starts in '06 (6.9) and '04 (5.58).
"Pitching to contact can be taken different than what it's intended," said Schilling after improving to 2-1, while lowering his ERA to 2.84. "There are counts and situations where I used to be a four-seam fastball guy and maybe that's not the best pitch anymore. If it's going to be a fastball it's got to still be a strike when you're behind in the count. That's where the changeup, the curveball, and the slider come in. Today they made a lot of early outs. We knew they'd be aggressive. It's a very aggressive lineup top to bottom, but you've go to locate to make that work."
Through the first five innings, the Angels were at least attempting to go against the grain, choosing to not swing at the first pitch in 15 of their initial 18 at-bats. But Schilling countered by tossing 10 first-pitch strikes during that span. And when the sixth inning rolled around and the visitors started to swing a bit more freely at the hurler's initial outing, the result was a seven-pitch inning.
And it wasn't only the fastball Schilling was hitting the zone with. The Sox starter reached the point yesterday where he felt confident enough with his changeup to throw it in some of the outing's most intense moments.
"I thought I threw some good ones today," he said. "I got a couple outs with it, and threw it for strikes and a couple times behind in the count. I threw two real bad ones, ending up with the only walk of the day, but it got some outs. I've gotten outs with it. I got a couple of first-pitch outs and I got some outs behind in the count with it. It's coming."
The positive of presenting the change was especially evident later in the game when Schilling needed his fastball's velocity the most. A perfect example came on the final offering of an 11-pitch at-bat against Jose Molina in which the Angels' catcher would ultimately go down swinging on a 93 mph fastball to end the seventh inning.
It has all translated into fewer runs (eight total this season), 15 innings in his last two starts, and far less pitches than through his first three appearances a year ago (335 vs. 294). It all adds up to a well-executed plan and perhaps a much-better preserved pitcher.
"His velocity, you know, I'm not going to see the 96 (mph) he used to (throw), but with the changeup ... again if you're throwing strikes with four different pitches, your fastball is going to probably gain a foot or two just because it's a hitter's head that you can throw different pitches to different areas," said Red sox manager Terry Francona. "It certainly opens up the plate on both sides."
