Lou Marson & Jason Donald Olympic bronze medalists
double bobble head.
Outman adapting to the bullpen
Tony Zonca
In his new role as Phillies setup man, Josh Outman has discovered that success seldom arrives with both hands full.
Outman had a vocal bomb dropped in his ear about a month ago. That’s when pitching coordinator Gorman Heimueller informed him and fellow lefty Fabio Castro that they no longer should consider themselves starting pitchers. At that point, Outman had started 54 of the last 59 games he had appeared in as a professional.
Castro likely took the news in stride. Much of his six-year pro career has been spent coming out of the pen. A few were critical of the move, liking it to splitting deuces at the blackjack table.
“I was shocked, to say the least,” said the 23-year-old Outman. “I didn’t know exactly how to feel about it. Gorman said it was a good thing for both of us. He said by no means were we being punished by being moved out of the starting rotation. (He said) it was just something that could expedite one or both of us in getting to the
Major Leagues. And it was something that could help the Major League club sooner than later for us.”
And so Outman trudged out of the pen that first night in Harrisburg and fell on his impressive assets.
“I was uncomfortable that first time out and I didn’t know exactly how I wanted to prepare for it,” he remembered. “I think I probably got a little too pumped up and I had too much adrenaline flow. I said, ‘This is just the first one; throw this one out the window and let’s go to work.’ ”
Outman’s enthusiasm and self-assurance are always on the boil. And not even the Cooper people produce anything as sharp as the young Missourian. But he has discovered that pitching in relief is often equal parts pleasure and despair.
After that forgettable night in Harrisburg, he stitched together a string of six straight appearances in which he did not allow an earned run over 11 innings. His last two outings, though – on the road in Binghamton – he fell mightily on his sword.
He was roughed up for five earned runs, four hits and surrendered two walks over two innings. All the old tests and measures had been left behind; the on-the-job training was in full swing.
More telling than the new role adjustment might be Outman’s record this season away from home. He has not allowed an earned run in eight innings at FirstEnergy Stadium in his new role. But he has given up eight earned runs in 7.1 innings on the road, allowing four walks and nine hits while striking out six.
Overall this season he is 1-2 with a 3.51 ERA in 14 games, five as a starter, with 45 strikeouts and 22 walks in 41 innings. Opponents are batting .224 against him.
“I had to change my routine and types of between-game workouts,” Outman said prior to those two rough outings in Binghamton. “The game preparation is a little different because I’ve got to be ready to go almost every night and have myself mentally prepared to pitch at any time.
“I just talked to some of the other relievers, and Files (pitching coach Tom Filer) talked to me a little bit about the adjustment. Mostly it’s just watching how the other guys work and getting some pointers from guys who have pitched out of the bullpen.”
Filer is confident his young protégé will find success in his new role.
“I just keep talking with Josh about his command and making his breaking ball a little better,” Filer said. “I think he realizes his calling might be in the bullpen. In the whole realm of it, I think a lot of people thought he would be a reliever, and might be a really good one at that.
“He does possess a fastball up to 94 miles-per-hour and a breaking ball that continues to get better and better, and he has a changeup. Being a reliever, the organization wants him to concentrate on two pitches that he can throw over the plate.”
One thing Outman surely is learning is that to be successful as a reliever you need to have a short memory.
“Now I’m not trying to set anything up for later in the game,” he said. “I put all my cards on the table pretty much for one or two innings. I just try to go after the hitters real aggressively. In the bullpen it’s just be ready to go at all times and not think about what happened last time. It’s just, here comes my inning; let’s get it done now.”
After that string of 11 scoreless innings, some may have penciled in Outman for an early-summer call-up to the big club. Now they may have to wait a bit before removing the training wheels.
No question, the big-league Phillies are looking for another lefty in the pen. Of the seven guys who make their living coming out of the bullpen in Philadelphia, only J.C. Romero is left-handed.
“He reads the newspapers and the media stuff out there,” Filer said. “He’s aware the Phillies are looking for people, and right now he’s so anxious. He tells me every day, ‘I’m ready, pitch me; I’m ready, pitch me.’ He has a rubber arm. He’s a different type. He’s left-handed to start, and he’s very, very competitive. He’s a little different, and I think it works to his advantage.”
The last time we spoke with Outman, he was still adjusting from his previous unconventional delivery on the mound, but at least it was in his familiar role as a starter. Now that’s changed, so we should not be surprised by the occasional stumbles. But nobody – he included – should be in a rush to get him to the big leagues, where self-confidence can be obliterated in a blink.
Still, the kid is only human.
“They always say, even in Reading you’re only a phone call away from the big leagues,” Outman said. “I feel the phone call is going to come a lot sooner now.”
Just so long as he doesn’t get hung up on numbers.
