azdad1978
Championship!!!!
By Jack Magruder, Tribune
TUCSON - Michael Gosling kept pace with Brad Halsey in the competition for the No. 5 spot in the Diamondbacks’ starting rotation on Monday, a twostep that could continue until last call.
Gosling pitched four shutout innings to run his consecutive scorelessinnings streak to 10 in a 5-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Tucson Electric Park as the race for the final rotation berth reached its final two weeks — and final two contenders.
Left-handers Gosling and Halsey are the only remaining candidates after manager Bob Melvin announced Monday that Oscar Villarreal will pitch out of the bullpen.
Halsey made a strong move by giving up one run in five innings against a stacked Seattle lineup Saturday, but Gosling kept pace.
"I’m aware of the situation, but it’s not added pressure,’’ Gosling said. "I’m happy to be in that competition. I’m happy to be one of the two guys. What he (Halsey) does, I can’t worry about. I want him to pitch well, because I don’t want to get the job by default. He’s a good guy and we’re friends.
"I just want to pitch well enough that when it comes down to it and the season is about to start, if nothing else, it makes it real hard on them to not have me on the team. I want to pitch in the big leagues a long time, and to do that I’m going to have to make a team out of spring training.
"This is just the first of what I hope will be many competitions for starting spots in the big leagues.’’
Gosling gave up five hits — all singles — and pitched out of a bases-loaded, two-out situation in the last of the fourth inning, lowering his ERA to 3.77 in 14 1 /3 innings. Halsey’s is 2.77 in 13 innings.
The White Sox hit back-toback singles with one out in third inning before Gosling got Tadahito Igushi to fly out and Carl Everett on a fielder’s choice. After the Sox loaded the bases on two singles and a walk with two outs in the fourth, Gosling got Willie Harris on a routine grounder.
Gosling faced a lineup that included Everett, Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye and A.J. Pierzynski.
"Not the best stuff I’ve had, but that’s a lot of pitching, battling in those times when you are not at your best,’’ Gosling said. "Being able to put up four zeros with kind of average stuff, I was happy about that.’’
Gosling has not been scored upon since giving up five runs in his first spring start March 7 against Colorado. He had two shutout innings of relief against San Diego on March 12 and four scoreless innings in his second start March 17 at Colorado.
"He was really good,’’ Melvin said. "He made pitches when he had to. He located. He threw all his pitches and changed speeds. A guy who is not a velocity guy, that is what they had to do.
"There is certainly nothing decided there. I never said anybody had won a job."
Gosling and Halsey are each scheduled to make two more starts this spring — Halsey on Thursday against Colorado and March 29 against San Francisco, and Gosling on Sunday against Kansas City and against Boston on April 1 in Bank One Ballpark.
Gosling said he feels comfortable after ironing out a mechanical flaw in his release point.
"Not being the biggest guy, not having the best fastball, I have to use all the advantages of pitching mechanics and throw the ball out front as far as I can. It makes my stuff better and gives the hitter less time to pick up the spin on the ball,’’ said the 6-foot-2 Gosling.
"That just makes my stuff a lot better and makes me a little more deceptive.’’
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=38352
TUCSON - Michael Gosling kept pace with Brad Halsey in the competition for the No. 5 spot in the Diamondbacks’ starting rotation on Monday, a twostep that could continue until last call.
Gosling pitched four shutout innings to run his consecutive scorelessinnings streak to 10 in a 5-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Tucson Electric Park as the race for the final rotation berth reached its final two weeks — and final two contenders.
Left-handers Gosling and Halsey are the only remaining candidates after manager Bob Melvin announced Monday that Oscar Villarreal will pitch out of the bullpen.
Halsey made a strong move by giving up one run in five innings against a stacked Seattle lineup Saturday, but Gosling kept pace.
"I’m aware of the situation, but it’s not added pressure,’’ Gosling said. "I’m happy to be in that competition. I’m happy to be one of the two guys. What he (Halsey) does, I can’t worry about. I want him to pitch well, because I don’t want to get the job by default. He’s a good guy and we’re friends.
"I just want to pitch well enough that when it comes down to it and the season is about to start, if nothing else, it makes it real hard on them to not have me on the team. I want to pitch in the big leagues a long time, and to do that I’m going to have to make a team out of spring training.
"This is just the first of what I hope will be many competitions for starting spots in the big leagues.’’
Gosling gave up five hits — all singles — and pitched out of a bases-loaded, two-out situation in the last of the fourth inning, lowering his ERA to 3.77 in 14 1 /3 innings. Halsey’s is 2.77 in 13 innings.
The White Sox hit back-toback singles with one out in third inning before Gosling got Tadahito Igushi to fly out and Carl Everett on a fielder’s choice. After the Sox loaded the bases on two singles and a walk with two outs in the fourth, Gosling got Willie Harris on a routine grounder.
Gosling faced a lineup that included Everett, Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye and A.J. Pierzynski.
"Not the best stuff I’ve had, but that’s a lot of pitching, battling in those times when you are not at your best,’’ Gosling said. "Being able to put up four zeros with kind of average stuff, I was happy about that.’’
Gosling has not been scored upon since giving up five runs in his first spring start March 7 against Colorado. He had two shutout innings of relief against San Diego on March 12 and four scoreless innings in his second start March 17 at Colorado.
"He was really good,’’ Melvin said. "He made pitches when he had to. He located. He threw all his pitches and changed speeds. A guy who is not a velocity guy, that is what they had to do.
"There is certainly nothing decided there. I never said anybody had won a job."
Gosling and Halsey are each scheduled to make two more starts this spring — Halsey on Thursday against Colorado and March 29 against San Francisco, and Gosling on Sunday against Kansas City and against Boston on April 1 in Bank One Ballpark.
Gosling said he feels comfortable after ironing out a mechanical flaw in his release point.
"Not being the biggest guy, not having the best fastball, I have to use all the advantages of pitching mechanics and throw the ball out front as far as I can. It makes my stuff better and gives the hitter less time to pick up the spin on the ball,’’ said the 6-foot-2 Gosling.
"That just makes my stuff a lot better and makes me a little more deceptive.’’
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=38352
