News
Wellemeyer hopes to stay balanced
St. Louis (42-38) vs. San Francisco (42-35), 6:15 p.m. CT
By B.J. Rains / MLB.com
07/02/09 12:13 AM ET
ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals starter Todd Wellemeyer hasn't been seen walking any high-wire tightropes since his last start Saturday, but that doesn't mean the struggling righty hasn't been working on his balance. Searching for the root of the problem that has caused him to win only one game since May 27, Wellemeyer believes the answer centers around his balance during his delivery. The righty noticed that he was having trouble staying balanced and would fall toward third base during several of his deliveries in his recent starts. That caused his front foot to land on the third-base side of the mound, forcing him to throw across his body and mess up his release point. "I knew I was landing a little off but you can't just correct that without first getting a good balance point," Wellemeyer said. "The most basic thing in the whole mechanical issue I was having is the neutral balance point. It was non-existent. It was there sometimes and then sometimes it was just not even there. "I would start drifting and it messes everything up. Just staying upright and trying to hit my target is big." A strangely large amount of the damage done against Wellemeyer has come with two outs. Opponents are hitting .336 against him with two outs in the inning, and with two outs and runners in scoring position, their average goes up to .383. Just one pitch away from escaping a jam, Wellemeyer has been victimized by two-out hits way too often this season. And that too, he says, can be attributed to his lack of balance on the mound. "You know, I don't know what it is," Wellemeyer said. "It could be overanalyzing and trying to be too fine. It could be trying too hard to get out of it. If you put too much effort into it, that's when I really started drifting and not stay balanced. I just need to stay balanced. I think it's as simple as that." Wellemeyer is 6-7 with a 5.68 ERA and has given up at least four earned runs in eight of his 16 starts. He has claimed to have figured out mechanical issues before a couple of other starts this season but feels that this change could be the difference he has been looking for. "I just hope it's there," Wellemeyer said. "I hope it doesn't leave me while I'm out there because it's done it before. But I have been feeling good between these starts. I figured something out that is really important." Pitching matchupSTL: RHP Todd Wellemeyer (6-7, 5.68 ERA)
Manager Tony La Russa declined to comment on Wellemeyer's status in the rotation after another rough start Saturday, but it's clear the right-hander needs to turn it around. For now, the Cardinals don't feel like they have any other really viable options. However, also Thursday, Kyle Lohse will make a Minor League rehabilitation start as he tries to recover from a right forearm injury. It may not be a coincidence that the two starts occur on the same day. SF: LHP Barry Zito (4-7, 4.55 ERA)
Despite his record and ERA, Zito has improved visibly this season. He's averaging four walks per nine innings, down from 5.1 last year, and he leads the staff with 11 double-play grounders induced. Zito's coming off an encouraging start in which he shut out Milwaukee for five innings at Miller Park, where he had lost his previous three outings and recorded a 10.05 ERA. Zito's night ended when Prince Fielder belted a three-run homer in the sixth inning. But it still represented a significant improvement for Zito, who lost to St. Louis on May 30 when he allowed three runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings. Tidbits
Several Cardinals have had success against Zito. Albert Pujols, who seems to hit everyone, is 5-for-9 with two home runs and eight RBIs against the former Cy Young Award winner. Lefty Skip Schumaker is 4-for-6 against Zito and infielder Brendan Ryan is 4-for-7. In addition, Chris Duncan, Yadier Molina and Ryan Ludwick all have at least six at-bats against Zito and all are hitting at least .333 against him. Tickets
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• Friday: Cardinals (Joel Pineiro, 6-9, 3.44) at Reds (Homer Bailey, 1-0, 8.68), 6:10 p.m. CT
• Saturday: Cardinals (Brad Thompson, 2-4, 4.69) at Reds (Micah Owings, 5-8, 4.63), 12:10 p.m. CT
• Sunday: Cardinals (Chris Carpenter, 5-3, 2.42) at Reds (TBD), 12:10 p.m. CT
B.J. Rains is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
