Pedro Strop continuing to impress for eighth inning role
Pedro Strop is making a strong case for himself, as he’s looking good to fit the role of an eighth inning reliever. The Texas Rangers have the hard task of dispelling their pitching issues as early, as possible but that situation is yet to yield a solution.
Manager Ron Washington has been trying to nudge off the weak links in the bullpen and some tinkering has been noticed over the past few days.
Strop tends to throw hard and his form is consistent with any good setup player. Trailing Neftali Feliz as the best player in the mix at the moment, the right-hander has a good breaking ball to go with his deliveries.
So far, the hurler has not allowed a run in his last five appearances. To many critics, he’s looking similar to Frank Francisco, who moved to the Toronto Blue Jays recently.
However, Washington is not ready to cast the young reliever on permanent duty, as consistent form is required. The skipper is relying more on Darren Oliver and Arthur Rhodes to pitch in.
"You may see Darren Oliver more than anybody there right now", Washington said.
To some measure, the manager wants his player to earn the role.
"I just want to see consistency, keep giving him the ball and keep getting people out", Washington said. "Three outings doesn't make it. When I decide he's our eighth-inning guy, everybody will know it. But he's got to keep pitching and then we'll determine
that".
Strop has not setup Feliz on a saving opportunity yet and that may be the reason why his manager is not making a move yet.
"Getting more innings and experience makes me feel more comfortable", Strop said. "Controlling the strike zone, where my pitches break and my release point. You get to know yourself more when you're pitching".
The hurler elaborated that when a pitcher gets the opportunities and support from the manager, pitching coach, and, the staff, confidence starts to build up as a consequence. In the end he stated that if people tend to trust you, why would you not trust
yourself?
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