In studying Scott’s final spring training outings before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the preseason, Orioles first-year bullpen coach Darren Holmes noticed an intriguing trend: When the hard-throwing left-hander pitched with a slide step, he threw strikes on more than 70% of his pitches. If he used a traditional knee-lift motion, he threw a ball more than half the time.
The change to what Holmes said the Orioles refer to as a “load-and-go” motion has seemingly paid off for Scott, who has become manager Brandon Hyde’s primary late-inning lefty since the trade of Richard Bleier. In 14 outings, Scott has posted a 2.