Mitch Spence “Wipes” Rough Inning from Memory and Bounces Back
PHOENIX (Mar 15) — The Ides of March were not kind to Athletics starting pitcher Mitch Spence in the bottom of the second Saturday afternoon in Cactus League play against the host Milwaukee Brewers. After facing the minimum in the first inning in front of 5,008 spectators at Maryvale’s American Family Fields of Phoenix, he did not survive the second. He tossed 28 pitches in that inning alone, recording two outs as the Brewers batted around. When the inning ended, the Brewers held an 8–0 lead, the only runs either team scored in the entire game. “Innings like that are gonna happen,” Spence said. “The quicker you can wipe them from your memory and continue on with what you’re doing, the better off you’re gonna be.”
Spence Refocuses and Rebounds
Colin Peluse finished the second inning off while Spence reset and refocused. “I tried to wipe what happened,” Spence said of his time in the dugout after leaving the second inning. Spring training rules allow starting pitchers to leave the game during a long inning, regroup, and reenter in a later inning. “I felt like I was still making good pitches,” he continued. “Just hung two (sliders) on the double and the home run.” Spence went back out for the third and did much better than he did in the second, facing the minimum three batters again. A 1–2–3 fourth followed, giving Spence a nice pair of bounce-back innings. He did not do anything special in the dugout to wipe his memory. Since he felt he was making good pitches, he focused on continuing to do so while avoiding hanging another slider. “If you continue to make good pitches, good things will happen.”
Command of the Slider
Other than the two that hung, Spence felt good overall about his slider’s behavior Saturday. He was working on command of the slider and felt the “shapes” were good. “Finding the lines” of throwing it for a strike versus throwing it for a swing and miss were “just a little off,” but he concluded by saying with a grin, “it’s gonna happen.”
Looking Ahead
Manager Mark Kotsay said Monday morning that Luis Severino will be the Athletics’ Opening Day starting pitcher on the road Thursday, March 27 against the Seattle Mariners. This comes as a surprise to next to no one, as Severino was the Athletics’ highest profile off-season acquisition. Three of the four remaining rotation slots are set — lefties Jeffrey Springs and JP Sears along with right-hander Osvaldo Bido. The battle for the fifth slot is between Spence and Joey Estes, both of whom are righties.
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