Throwback...To The Bullpen

Maybe it was the baseball gods trying to say something, or maybe it was just appropriate that on Friday night during my first relief appearance we were wearing retro uniforms. I realize that it wasn't too long ago since the last time I’ve thrown in relief. Heck, even this year at school I closed on Fridays, but for some reason that feels like ancient history. I have been able to be on a routine as a starter for the last year and I really have grown used to it. I’m a routine kind of guy, I like knowing what I’m going to do and when I’m going to do it. But as a reliever, you have to be at your best all the time because you never know when you are going to have to perform. Luckily I have experience relieving under some high pressure situations and on some big stages so I am definitely equipped to handle this new challenge. Nevertheless, it is a change and I will have to make my adjustments. For instance, Friday the game sped up on me a little bit. I found myself getting out of my mechanics and really rushing through my delivery. Luckily, I was able to fight out of a couple of jams and get the win....I thought it was very funny that I got the win on the day of my once-scheduled start, perhaps the baseball gods still at work.

So, why the move to the bullpen? Well, on Wednesday I was called into Lance’s (the pitching coach) office. He told me that they are very pleased with how I’ve thrown so far and above all else they want to protect my arm. He said that since I threw so many innings this year at school I would move to the bullpen for the rest of the year to cut down on my innings. And that was that, Pettis is back in the ‘pen. At first I was a little surprised by this decision but looking at it know I think its probably a good thing. First of all, to this point I have throw 157 innings this year. Major League workhorses throw around 200 innings per year, and I was on pace to reach that number easily. Now, I have no doubt that I could have handled this workload, but for what reason. There is no award for throwing the most innings in your first year of professional baseball. So my arm will get a much needed breather. Secondly, I think it’s a good thing that the organization even thinks it is necessary to rest my arm. Hopefully, the have seen my early success and value me as a prospect in their system and one that they don’t want to injure. So, despite the minor inconveniences that go with making a mid-season role change, I think I can make the best of it.

My attempt at photographing our throwback jerseys

Then Mario helped (please excuse Borup with his pants down)