Duke's improvement in focus
BRADENTON, Fla. — By now, the Pittsburgh Pirates figured Zach Duke would be their top-of-the rotation starter, maybe even their first true staff ace since Doug Drabek in the early 1990s.
Duke had the most impressive debut of any Pittsburgh starter during the club's ongoing run of 15 consecutive losing seasons, going 8-2 with a 1.81 ERA in 2005. He threw 22 consecutive scoreless innings, owned an ERA below 1.00 after six starts and became the first Pirates pitcher in 84 years to win his first five career starts.
All this a year after he had the lowest ERA of any starting pitcher in the minors.
No wonder the Pirates have been scratching their heads since, asking themselves how a pitcher who was so good at the start of his career could be so bad since.
"There's a lot of guys nipping at my heels right now," said Duke, who is penciled into the Pirates' five-man rotation but with very fine lead. "My job's up for the taking."
For good reason.
Since enjoying the best rookie season by any Pirates starter since Tim Wakefield was 8-1 in 1992, Duke's career has dipped as precipitously as a well-thrown Wakefield knuckler. Duke is 13-21 with a .341 opponents' batting average.
What has the Pirates encouraged a week into their exhibition schedule is that Duke seems more determined, more locked in than perhaps any spring since before he became a big leaguer.
To the Pirates' new leadership, perhaps he should be doing exactly that.
Duke missed most of the second half of last season with a ligament injury in his left elbow, but there wasn't much to remember about his season otherwise. He was 3-8 with a 5.53 ERA in 20 games, 19 starts, and 161 hits allowed in only 107.1 innings.
That number nearly mirrored his 2005 stats of a major league-l.1 innings, and illustrates his inability to command his fastball or to snap off his breaking pitches the way he did three years ago.
To try to get Duke turned around, new pitching coach Jeff Andrews — who also worked with Duke in the minors — has been emphasizing the importance of focusing on every pitch.
There have also been mechanical adjustments to Duke's delivery. They were made after he allowed five runs on six hits, with homers by Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn, in two innings March 1 against the Reds.
An encouraged Duke raved he felt more comfortable after Andrews adjusted his leg kick to lengthen his stride to the plate, a change designed to help keep the ball down.
The initial results were encouraging as Duke, pitching as a reliever rather than a starter, gave up one hit and walked none in three shutout innings during an 8-7 victory Thursday over Toronto.
"It felt very good, very natural," Duke said. "I was able to get into a rhythm."
The Pirates, and Duke, also liked this: 27 strikes in 36 pitches.
Of course, Duke also gushed initially about similar adjustments made by former pitching coach Jim Colborn during spring training two years ago. Since then, Duke, who turns 25 next month, has never begun to approach the pitcher he was as a rookie.
While new manager John Russell was encouraged with Duke's turnaround outing — "You could see the difference," he said — it is clearly understood Duke is not a lock to start the season in the rotation.
