BOSTON — Miguel Gonzalez isn’t the same pitcher as the one released by the Baltimore Orioles in March. His velocity, which dropped in September and carried into spring training, has regained those couple of mph and is back to its customary 92 (per BrooksBaseball).
“I try not to look at the board when I’m pitching but it’s definitely going up now and it’s more consistent than what I saw at the end of last year,’’ the 32-year-old right-hander said Wednesday. “I’m pretty excited about that.’’
Gonzalez has allowed three or fewer runs in eight of his 10 starts for the Sox, including one run over 6 2/3 innings in a 3-1 Sox win Monday against the Red Sox, one of the better hitting teams in baseball.
“Working hard pays off,’’ he said. “At the end of last year I had a program going and the program here with the White Sox on the day after you pitch is pretty intense. It’s definitely helping out. I’m also throwing more long toss than I have in past.’’
As pitchers often do upon joining the Sox, Gonzalez added a cutter to his mix and seems to be phasing out his slider.
Having regained his normal velocity “makes a big difference, especially for a pitcher like me,’’ he said. “I have to paint [corners], I have to pound the zone early. Every pitch you throw is a different pitch and to a different spot. Pitching is an art. And it’s fun.’’
While the Orioles — for whom Gonzalez pitched to a 3.49 ERA from 2012-14 before he slid to 4.91 in 2015 – might now be regretting letting him go, Gonzalez is staying classy about their decision, which was difficult to take at the time.
“I wouldn’t call it a mistake,’’ he said. “They gave me the opportunity to play in the big leagues.’’
Big Game James
Manager Robin Ventura, on ultra-struggling Thursday starter James Shields — who is 0-3 with a 24.62 ERA over his last four starts (three with the Sox): “It’s going to come down to location. Being able to locate, being able to feel comfortable on the mound and throw strikes and jump ahead.’’
View from the top
In uniform, Tim Anderson, Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie took a walk to the seats above the Green Monster at Fenway Park and took pictures before the game. The night before, Anderson and Frazier cleared it for home runs, Anderson for his career No. 1 and Frazier for No. 20 this season.
A fan retrieved Anderson’s ball, which went out of the park, and asked only for a modest exchange to return it to the Sox clubhouse.
“I’m glad we did get it back,’’ Anderson said.
