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DUNEDIN - Brett Cecil wasn’t doing cartwheels over his first start of spring but he’s aware of where he is and where he wants to be in a month.
“It was all right, though I felt like every pitch was on the opposite part of the plate to what I wanted it to be,” he said after tossing two indifferent innings, allowing three hits and a run to the Tigers in Detroit’s 4-0 win.
“I got a couple of balls up and my changeup was flat. Straight in there. But it’s just the first time out, so overall it’s okay.”
There is a natural enough progression that has to be made as pitchers go from throwing just to a catcher to having batters giving him instant negative feedback.
“First couple of starts, it’s just about getting back into a pitching rhythm,” he said. “There’s only so much you can do in bullpens. Once you get out there and face live hitters two or three times, things start to click a little better.
“After that, things should pick up and get better as far as pitch location is concerned. I need to get the ball on the right sides of the plate.”
