Trevor Bauer struck out four of the first six batters faced and retired 11 in a row before the Seattle Mariners turned the tide with three home runs in the fifth inning of a 7-3 comeback win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Two of the homers Bauer surrendered were back-to-back that erased what had been a 2-0 Dodgers’ lead. “Third time through the order, some new guys came in and I was just out there throwing pitches to get my pitch count up,” Bauer explained.
“Felt really good the first three or four, felt like I executed really well. Just behind in the count a little bit and they hit some pitches. … I got exactly what I wanted out of tonight. I was really good the first couple innings, was sharp, landed curveballs for strikes, slider was good, felt like I commanded the ball pretty well, so I got what I wanted.
“The fifth inning, like I said, I was throwing pitches. There really wasn’t any thought of sequencing or whatever. I was just kind of out there throwing pitches. That’s never a good mind frame to be in when you’re trying to get guys out, but just finishing off getting my pitch count up.”
Heading into the start, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the goal was for Bauer to complete five or six innings. Bauer wound up throwing 86 pitches over 4.1 frames.
“I just think he left balls out over the big part of the plate and they took some good swings. But overall, I thought it was a good performance as far as getting what we wanted out of this outing,” Roberts said.
“That was to get his pitch count up, use his entire mix — which he did. Yeah, gave up some homers late, but overall we accomplished what we needed.”
Although Bauer may have abandoned focus and strategy in the fifth inning, fact of the matter is all five home runs he’s allowed this spring have come in his last two outings — one of which was a relief appearance.
“It’s fine,” Roberts said of Bauer’s showing in camp. “I think that’s what Spring Training is for for a veteran pitcher: buildup and then start fine tuning command.
“I think there’s been times where the fastball command, the breaking ball, everything is working and where it needs to be. Other times it’s not, but that’s what Spring Training is for. A far as working up towards his start when the season starts, it’s right on track.”
Bauer responds to MLB over uniform rule
Bauer’s long history with the commissioner’s office added another layer with MLB sending a letter that explained he is not permitted to wear his logo on an undershirt or belt during games.
“The selective enforcement of the rule is quite comical. I enjoy seeing the selective enforcement of it. It’s pretty funny,” Bauer said.
“You have players around the league that wear a belt with their logo on it all the time, or shoes with their logo on it. I wear a belt with a logo on it and I get a letter. Par for the course with me and MLB.”
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