Red Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen is still paying for a mistake he made last season, but the good news is that he's getting closer to righting the ship.
After posting a 1.07 ERA through early June of last season, Delcarmen began feeling pain in his right shoulder. But instead of telling anyone, Delcarmen changed his delivery to take some pressure off the shoulder, according to the Boston Herald. The results were disastrous, as the right-hander's ERA ballooned to 7.08 over his final 40 appearances, ultimately costing him a spot on the playoff roster.
Delcarmen still hasn't completely fixed his mechanics, but he's getting closer. On Monday, he threw 40 pitches in a simulated game, and although his control wasn't great — he threw 26 strikes and 14 balls — his fastball hit 93 mph after being stuck in the 90-91 range most of the spring.
Pitching coach John Farrell told the Herald that the outing was "better" and Delcarmen said that he was "almost there." The Hyde Park, Mass., native will make one more spring training appearance Thursday against the Minnesota Twins.
"[Monday] was really big," Delcarmen told the paper. "Farrell said not to change anything, pretty much. I hope it just carries on to the next time I throw."
Farrell told the Herald that the key to Delcarmen's delivery is when he separates his hands. If he does it at the right moment, his fastball gets more downward movement and greater velocity. If he doesn't, well, ugly things like a 7.08 ERA can happen.
Farrell also wants Delcarmen to be more confident on the mound.
"He's like, 'Dude, I just want you to go in there and get that fiery attitude back that you used to have,'" Delcarmen said. "He wants me to get that attitude like you're going out there and nobody's going to touch you."
