Velasquez's public frustrations a troubling sign for Phillies
Meghan Montemurro
PITTSBURGH – Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez is an emotional guy.
He rarely holds back when assessing any of his starts and is one of the most self-critical players on the Phillies. He even didn't hesitate to call out umpires following a spring training start.
But Saturday night after another tough start, this time against the Pirates, Velasquez's tone was different. Beaten down. Demoralized. Frustrated.
"Stuff is just not working out. Nothing is going my way," Velasquez said. " ... In the game, it's just a lack of commitment, a lack of concentration, just a lack of everything.
"I'm just clueless right now," he continued. "I'm just running around like a chicken without a head... I don't know what I've got to do."
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With all of the Phillies' struggles en route to a 15-26 start, the last thing the team needs is a valued 24-year-old pitcher falling apart psychologically. This amid pitching coach Bob McClure wondering last week whether the root of the staff's issues stems from questionable pitch calling behind the plate and pitchers trying to overthrow in key situations.
Perhaps most worrisome is that though coaches have been working with him since last year to change his pitching approach, Velazquez is still getting beat the same way. He's logging high pitch counts in limited innings while not learning from his mistakes.
McClure plans to sit down with Velasquez and discuss what goes through his mind when things start to fall apart on the mound. He wants Velasquez to stay in the rotation.
McClure noted Sunday that, in his opinion, sending Velasquez to Triple-A wouldn't help the righthander. He cited successful starting pitchers who have turned things around after a few seasons in Major League Baseball, including Zack Greinke, who McClure worked with in Kansas City, Cliff Lee, and the Royals' Danny Duffy.
"With Vinny, he kind of gets stuck a little bit because sometimes the secondary pitches aren't there or he's overthrowing them trying to get out of a jam," McClure said. "I still think it's more mindset. I really do. I think his stuff is fine.
"I just think he has to improve on how he looks at things, his perception of things," McClure added. "That's how you improve. Stay straight with yourself. Understand what happened. How do I fix it? Try that. It doesn't work? Try this. Without an overhaul. It's more of how you perceive what's going on."
So, where do the Phillies go from here?
As much as some fans want to see McClure fired, that would only be a temporary solution for an ongoing problem.
Players must be honest with themselves. Take the advice and instruction they're being given to heart. For Velasquez, it means acknowledging the way he's been doing things isn't working. Committing to the Phillies' suggestions must become a priority.
The last thing the Phillies, who have lost 17 of their last 21 games, need is for Velasquez's frustrations to fester and become a clubhouse problem. When things aren't going right, Phillies players and coaches must come together rather than point fingers and search for blame.
Contact Meghan Montemurro at mmontemurro@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @M_Montemurro.