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Posted by wiz on 2008-07-23 09:25:17
In Reply to: Espineli glad to forgo Olympics for the bigs posted by wiz on 2008-07-23 09:22:48
07/23/2008 3:15 AM ET
Correia seeking to get back on track
San Francisco (41-58) vs. Washington (38-62), Wed., 7:15 PT
By David Biderman / MLB.com
SAN FRANCISCO -- In their struggle to stay afloat in the National League West, the Giants are 1-9 when Kevin Correia starts a game. Whether that statistic bothers him, he's not letting on.
Sure of his ability, Correia thinks the pendulum will swing his direction sooner rather than later. The righty hasn't been in the "rhythm" he was during mid-April -- three starts, 19 2/3 innings, 3.66 ERA -- but he believes he's close.
San Francisco will see where he currently stands Wednesday afternoon, when Correia takes the mound at AT&T Park in the second game of a three-day set against the Nationals. It'll be his first start since July 12.
If Correia does in fact "feel pretty good," it couldn't come at a better time. He hasn't won a game since April 10 and hasn't had a quality start since April 21. The Giants haven't won a series at China Basin since May 9-11 and they've lost every homestand this season.
"I feel like I haven't been as aggressive as I was before," said Correia, who has a 6.75 ERA in his past five outings. "But I'm getting back into it. My stuff feels fine. I just have to be confident, which means throwing your pitches, expecting to get guys out and not trying to be too careful."
After a successful 2007, the Giants expected Correia to be a solid No. 5 starter, if not more. He started seven games to close the year, tallying a 2.41 ERA in 41 2/3 innings.
A strained muscle in his right side, though, knocked him out of the rotation for nearly all of May and June. He recorded just one out in an April 26 outing before heading to the disabled list.
His appearances in the past month don't show much improvement, but Correia thinks he's making strides -- he has to, otherwise he'd lose his confidence.
Once Correia sees his career numbers against Washington, he might get a little boost. In 17 2/3 innings against the Nationals, he's got a 2.55 ERA including a six-inning, two-run start last August.
"It doesn't really matter who I'm facing, I have to get back on track no matter what," Correia said.
"I don't want to be a guy they're going to send out there and not expect to win. I want to be a part of the rotation that they can look to that will win. I've done it in the past and I know I can do it again."
Pitching matchup
SF: RHP Kevin Correia (1-5, 5.81 ERA)
Correia has had a long time to contemplate what he called one of his worst outings in a long time. He yielded seven runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings on July 12 at Chicago. Correia confessed that he didn't feel right from the game's first pitch, and it showed. "When I've had my chances to turn an outing into a good one, I'm not making the pitches," Correia said after facing the Cubs. He owns a 1-1 record with a 2.55 ERA in eight career appearances against Washington.
WSH: RHP Collin Balester (1-2, 5.87 ERA)
Balester found the going rough in his third career outing, lasting just 4 2/3 innings and surrendering six runs, though just four were earned. The young right-hander struggled to keep runners off the basepaths against Houston, allowing 11 hits over his short outing. He exited in the fifth with the bases loaded, but Jesus Colome struck out Miguel Tejada to end the inning.
Tidbits
After getting called up to San Francisco on Sunday, reliever Geno Espineli was removed from Team USA for next month's Beijing Olympics. Double-A Connecticut righty Brooks McNiven, though, landed a spot on the Canadian team. A British Columbia native, McNiven is 2-2 with a 1.69 ERA in 53 1/3 innings for the Defenders. ... Lefty Steve Hammond, acquired Sunday in the Ray Durham deal, tossed two scoreless innings in relief Monday night for Triple-A Fresno, picking up a win in his first appearance in the Giants organization. Dave Roberts, who was in Fresno for a rehab assignment, said Hammond had a "good, sneaky fastball." ... Madison Bumgarner did it again, winning the South Atlantic Pitcher of the Week award for the third time this season. The 2007 first-round pick is 9-3 with a 1.79 ERA for Class A Augusta. Tuesday night, Bumgarner threw seven-plus innings, struck out six and allowed just two earned runs. ... Wednesday's game is the Giants' 100th of the year. They were 43-57 at the same point last season.
- wiz 2008-07-23 09:17:59 (115 views)