MESA, Ariz. \u2014 Athletics<\/a> right-hander Jack Perkins<\/a><\/strong> took another step forward in his bid for a role on the pitching staff with a sharp Cactus League outing Thursday afternoon against the Texas Rangers<\/a>. He turned in exactly the kind of efficient, under-control performance the club is hoping to see this spring.<\/p>\n Perkins tossed two scoreless innings, retiring all six batters he faced with one strikeout and plenty of soft contact. It was only his second appearance of the spring and his first time completing two innings, after being limited to a single frame in his previous outing.<\/p>\n For Perkins, the box score matters, but the bigger story is how he\u2019s feeling physically.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, the biggest thing for me is health and being able to go out there for the second inning feeling good,\u201d Perkins said. \u201cToday\u2019s one of those days where I feel like I can keep going.\u201d He added, \u201cThat\u2019s huge. Continue to build that workload and hopefully continue to build it these next few weeks through spring training.\u201d<\/p>\n Perkins said a major off-season emphasis on diet, supplementation, and training has helped him recover better.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the work and effort I put into my body\u2026 I\u2019m really seeing that day to day,\u201d he said. \u201cEven though the last outing didn\u2019t go great, I was really happy with the way my body recovered, the way my arm felt the next day. Going into my bullpen (and) this outing, I feel like a different pitcher in terms of my recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n The hope, he added, is that this foundation allows him to \u201ceat up a lot of innings\u201d for the Athletics in whatever role he\u2019s asked to fill and to be available consistently throughout the season.<\/p>\n From a pitching standpoint, Perkins framed Thursday\u2019s outing as an extension of the approach he used in his first Cactus League appearance \u2014 just better executed.<\/p>\n \u201cI took the same philosophy as last outing. Tried to attack (and) get ahead of guys,\u201d Perkins said. \u201cI feel like I did a really good job of that today. Then I stuck to that when I got to the two-strike counts.\u201d<\/p>\n If anything, he learned from trying to be too fine the previous time out. He said that last time, he tried to be \u201ca little too fine\u201d with his breaking pitches, trying too hard for the \u201cswing and miss.\u201d Thursday, he said, played more to his stuff. He was \u201cletting the hitters get themselves out\u201d and was \u201cattacking guys.\u201d Later, he added it was the \u201csame philosophy of being a bulldog.\u201d<\/p>\n That more direct mentality showed in the contact he allowed. In the first inning, Perkins induced a soft, end-of-the-bat grounder from Alejandro Osuna<\/a><\/strong> to end the frame \u2014 the type of weak contact he wants when he\u2019s on time and in the zone. Catcher Shea Langeliers<\/a><\/strong> had to hustle out from behind the plate and make a strong, accurate throw to get Osuna by an eyelash.<\/p>\n Asked about that pitch, Perkins said it was a changeup, one of the offerings he\u2019s increasingly leaning on to separate his fastball and keep hitters guessing.<\/p>\n Jack Perkins\u2019 stuff can play when sequenced well. Thursday, he showed glimpses of how his repertoire can work together against both right- and left-handed hitters.<\/p>\n He pointed to the continued integration of his two-seam fastball as a key development, particularly against right-handed hitters. \u201cAdding in the two-seamer has been really beneficial for righties, being able to push them a bit to set up the sweeper (and) changeup,\u201d he said.<\/p>\nHealth First, Then Everything Else<\/h3>\n
Jack Perkins on Attack Mode and a \u201cBulldog\u201d Mindset<\/h3>\n
Jack Perkins Dialing in the Arsenal: Two-Seamer, Sweeper, Changeup<\/h3>\n