It was the smallest of sample sizes, one start but it was enough for the Pittsburgh Pirates to push the reset button on J.A. Happ. The results, though again a small sample size, have been very encouraging.
Happ had a successful first half, however he came to the Pirates with the lowest average appearance length among starting pitchers with 20 or more starts. He appeared to prove this with his first appearance for the Pirates when he allowed four runs on nine hits in just 4.1 innings against the Chicago Cubs.
It was a less than stellar first impression among the home crowd and with his next start scheduled against the National League Central leading St. Louis Cardinals, the Pirates decided to reset and skip Happ’s start.
Happ then met with pitching coach Ray Searage and according to manager Clint Hurdle, slight changes were made. Happ called some of it physical and some mental.
The results started to show in New York against the Mets. Happ was the first pitcher in the series and other then a solo home run, kept his mistakes to a minimum. Hurdle took Happ out as soon as he saw the pitcher experience some signs of trouble. This allowed for Happ to not get down on himself and allow him to carry the good signs into his next start.
That start came Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Happ allowed two hits in a scoreless outing, his second as a starter this season. It also was his first win of any kind since July 3.
“The delivery is in a solid place, he’s really updating his delivery,” Hurdle said. “The ball has good downhill angle coming out of his hand now. The fastball has improved and he’s getting the ball glove side very well and efficiently. He’s just pitching with a lot more confidence. He’s figured himself out and has made some small adjustments. It was fun to watch him out there tonight.”
Listening to Happ, it was clear that he was optimistic about these improvements. No longer is his delivery all over the place, but rather, he gets to home and allows for more control over the placement of his pitches.
“I felt pretty good the whole game,” said Happ. “I didn’t have my best fastball tonight but I think we were able to move it around, use some off speed and try to keep them off balance. I felt pretty good from the get go and got confidence as the game went on.”
Happ’s response following his first is an encouraging one and can benefit the team for the remainder of the season regardless of whether he remains a starter or is pushed to the bullpen upon A.J. Burnett’s potential return.
For now however, Happ will prepare for another road start Monday against the Miami Marlins.
“He only had one bad start,” Francisco Cervelli said. “He’s with the new team. He was in the American League. We’ve got to be patient. Today [Wednesday] was really good.”
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