Jim F.
05-16-01, 01:58 AM
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Rick Ankiel pitched to minor league hitters the same way he did to big league batters.
Ankiel, sent to the minors to regain his control, walked six and threw eight pitches to the backstop in three-plus innings in his first start for Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday night.
The St. Louis Cardinals left-hander, bothered by control problems since late last season, was at his enigmatic best against the Oklahoma RedHawks, striking out three and throwing four wild pitches. He allowed three runs and two hits.
"Some of them felt good," said Ankiel, 21. "A lot of times I get really quick, and when I throw one away you can totally see it in my mechanics. It's something we need to work on and something hopefully that's going to get better."
Ankiel was demoted last week after throwing five pitches to the backstop in a start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was 1-2 in six starts, with a 7.13 ERA and 25 walks in 24 innings.
The majority of Ankiel's pitches Tuesday were fastballs, the pitch he has struggled with all season. The only hits he gave up were to the opposite field, one of them on a broken bat.
"I felt like I threw a lot more fastballs the way I wanted to," he said. "Other than that, it's another step forward for me I feel and I'm ready to go again."
He was taken out after walking the first two batters in the fourth inning. Eight of his nine pitches in the inning were balls, including two to the screen.
He wound up throwing 67 pitches, only 28 for strikes.
"Generally, I'm encouraged," Redbirds pitching coach Dyar Miller said. "By the same token, I know there's a lot of work to be done."
A polite crowd of 7,052 applauded Ankiel as he left the game, but many fans also were quick to offer sarcastic cheers whenever he threw one over the catcher's head.
He walked the leadoff hitter on four pitches, two of which sailed to the screen. But he followed that with a three-pitch strikeout, two of them nasty curveballs.
He had one other pitch go the screen in the inning, but got out of a first-and-third jam by striking out left-handed Carlos Pena with a high fastball.
He threw just 12 pitches in the second inning, eight of them for strikes, but regressed in the third when only 10 of his 27 pitches were strikes.
"Obviously, he's got some work to do yet," Redbirds manager Gaylen Pitts said. "He threw some fastballs tonight and threw some pretty darn good ones. Then he gets out of whack.
"It's something he's going to have to keep going and working on, and that's what we're here to do. He's a tough kid. Nobody wants to get it worked out more than he does."
Ankiel has been in the spotlight since last October, when in the opener of the National League division series against Atlanta he became the first pitcher in 110 years to throw five wild pitches in one inning.
Despite struggling, Ankiel said Tuesday night's more relaxed atmosphere was beneficial.
"It was easier to go out there and try and pitch," he said. "A lot of the fastballs felt a lot better and I was able to feel what I was doing wrong more than I have in the past."
http://news.excite.com/news/ap/010516/00/bbm-ankiel-start
Ankiel, sent to the minors to regain his control, walked six and threw eight pitches to the backstop in three-plus innings in his first start for Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday night.
The St. Louis Cardinals left-hander, bothered by control problems since late last season, was at his enigmatic best against the Oklahoma RedHawks, striking out three and throwing four wild pitches. He allowed three runs and two hits.
"Some of them felt good," said Ankiel, 21. "A lot of times I get really quick, and when I throw one away you can totally see it in my mechanics. It's something we need to work on and something hopefully that's going to get better."
Ankiel was demoted last week after throwing five pitches to the backstop in a start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was 1-2 in six starts, with a 7.13 ERA and 25 walks in 24 innings.
The majority of Ankiel's pitches Tuesday were fastballs, the pitch he has struggled with all season. The only hits he gave up were to the opposite field, one of them on a broken bat.
"I felt like I threw a lot more fastballs the way I wanted to," he said. "Other than that, it's another step forward for me I feel and I'm ready to go again."
He was taken out after walking the first two batters in the fourth inning. Eight of his nine pitches in the inning were balls, including two to the screen.
He wound up throwing 67 pitches, only 28 for strikes.
"Generally, I'm encouraged," Redbirds pitching coach Dyar Miller said. "By the same token, I know there's a lot of work to be done."
A polite crowd of 7,052 applauded Ankiel as he left the game, but many fans also were quick to offer sarcastic cheers whenever he threw one over the catcher's head.
He walked the leadoff hitter on four pitches, two of which sailed to the screen. But he followed that with a three-pitch strikeout, two of them nasty curveballs.
He had one other pitch go the screen in the inning, but got out of a first-and-third jam by striking out left-handed Carlos Pena with a high fastball.
He threw just 12 pitches in the second inning, eight of them for strikes, but regressed in the third when only 10 of his 27 pitches were strikes.
"Obviously, he's got some work to do yet," Redbirds manager Gaylen Pitts said. "He threw some fastballs tonight and threw some pretty darn good ones. Then he gets out of whack.
"It's something he's going to have to keep going and working on, and that's what we're here to do. He's a tough kid. Nobody wants to get it worked out more than he does."
Ankiel has been in the spotlight since last October, when in the opener of the National League division series against Atlanta he became the first pitcher in 110 years to throw five wild pitches in one inning.
Despite struggling, Ankiel said Tuesday night's more relaxed atmosphere was beneficial.
"It was easier to go out there and try and pitch," he said. "A lot of the fastballs felt a lot better and I was able to feel what I was doing wrong more than I have in the past."
http://news.excite.com/news/ap/010516/00/bbm-ankiel-start