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HOUSTON -- Demotions can be upsetting and painful at the time a player is sent down, but some good can come out of them when handled properly.
Thus far, it looks as if Marlins rookie Sean West made the most of his nearly four-week stint at Double-A Jacksonville. The 23-year-old, who was optioned after a rough outing at Arizona on July 11, was recalled and inserted into the rotation on Aug. 8.
The primary reason West was sent down was to polish up his changeup and slider. The 6-foot-8 left-hander has a fastball in the 94-mph range, so velocity isn't an issue. What was hurting him was the lack of command on his offspeed pitches. Once word was out that he was only throwing his fastball for strikes, big league hitters waited on the pitch and did some damage.
West has shown improvement with his offspeed pitches in his two starts since returning to the big league club. On Aug. 8 at Philadelphia, he worked four innings, but had pretty good stuff in a no-decision. He struck out four and walked two that day, giving up three runs (two earned). A high pitch count, 93 pitches, led to an early exit. The Marlins did pull out a win that day.
On Thursday, West collected a win, beating the Astros at Land Shark Stadium. The lefty was solid in six innings, allowing one run on five hits. He didn't walk a batter and he struck out three. The changeup was effective, as he threw 92 pitches, 62 for strikes.
"I was pretty satisfied with it," West said of his changeup. "I was trying to go seven [innings]. I wanted to kind of pick the bullpen up. I threw a lot of changeups. That was my go-to pitch."
"The two weeks [in the Minors], I was really, really comfortable with [the changeup]," he said. "That was one of my best pitches when I first got drafted. That was my out pitch. But my slider has come a long way since then.
"The fastball is there. Those are the two pitches you focused on between starts [slider and changeup]. In the bullpen, that's what I was focusing on more, the changeups. It's going to be a good pitch for me later on down the road."
In his two August starts, West is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 10 innings. He has seven strikeouts and two walks. It's a big contrast from his numbers in two July starts, when he was 0-2 (8.44 ERA), and allowed 10 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings. He walked seven and struck out three in those games.
West grew up in Spring, Texas, in the Houston area. He grew up following the Astros, and even ran the bases as a kid at the Astrodome. Now, he will make his first start ever in Texas.
About 35-50 of his family and friends are expected to watch the start.
"I saw a few games in the Astrodome," West said. "I never saw one here at Minute Maid." He'll likely have to make some adjustments on Wednesday, because he is drawing successive starts against the same team. The Marlins take on the Astros in the second of three games at Minute Maid Park. After winning 6-2 on Tuesday, they are in position to take the series.
In Tuesday's victory, the Marlins extended their streak of collecting at least 10 hits to 14 straight games. The last team to have more is the 1937 St. Louis Browns, who had 15. The Major League record is 18.
Thus far, it looks as if Marlins rookie Sean West made the most of his nearly four-week stint at Double-A Jacksonville. The 23-year-old, who was optioned after a rough outing at Arizona on July 11, was recalled and inserted into the rotation on Aug. 8.
The primary reason West was sent down was to polish up his changeup and slider. The 6-foot-8 left-hander has a fastball in the 94-mph range, so velocity isn't an issue. What was hurting him was the lack of command on his offspeed pitches. Once word was out that he was only throwing his fastball for strikes, big league hitters waited on the pitch and did some damage.
West has shown improvement with his offspeed pitches in his two starts since returning to the big league club. On Aug. 8 at Philadelphia, he worked four innings, but had pretty good stuff in a no-decision. He struck out four and walked two that day, giving up three runs (two earned). A high pitch count, 93 pitches, led to an early exit. The Marlins did pull out a win that day.
On Thursday, West collected a win, beating the Astros at Land Shark Stadium. The lefty was solid in six innings, allowing one run on five hits. He didn't walk a batter and he struck out three. The changeup was effective, as he threw 92 pitches, 62 for strikes.
"I was pretty satisfied with it," West said of his changeup. "I was trying to go seven [innings]. I wanted to kind of pick the bullpen up. I threw a lot of changeups. That was my go-to pitch."
"The two weeks [in the Minors], I was really, really comfortable with [the changeup]," he said. "That was one of my best pitches when I first got drafted. That was my out pitch. But my slider has come a long way since then.
"The fastball is there. Those are the two pitches you focused on between starts [slider and changeup]. In the bullpen, that's what I was focusing on more, the changeups. It's going to be a good pitch for me later on down the road."
In his two August starts, West is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 10 innings. He has seven strikeouts and two walks. It's a big contrast from his numbers in two July starts, when he was 0-2 (8.44 ERA), and allowed 10 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings. He walked seven and struck out three in those games.
West grew up in Spring, Texas, in the Houston area. He grew up following the Astros, and even ran the bases as a kid at the Astrodome. Now, he will make his first start ever in Texas.
About 35-50 of his family and friends are expected to watch the start.
"I saw a few games in the Astrodome," West said. "I never saw one here at Minute Maid." He'll likely have to make some adjustments on Wednesday, because he is drawing successive starts against the same team. The Marlins take on the Astros in the second of three games at Minute Maid Park. After winning 6-2 on Tuesday, they are in position to take the series.
In Tuesday's victory, the Marlins extended their streak of collecting at least 10 hits to 14 straight games. The last team to have more is the 1937 St. Louis Browns, who had 15. The Major League record is 18.
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