TEMPE, Ariz. -- Rockies right-hander Jason Motte's mission: to figure whether he can return to his former self, or how to adjust if he never achieves the 97.1 mph average fastball velocity he clocked when helping the Cardinals win the 2011 World Series.
During his latest effort to find his old self, Saturday in the Rockies' 9-3 loss to the Angels, Carlos Perez popped a pitch into the wind and watched it barely clear the left-field wall for a two-run homer. The two-hit inning lifted Motte's spring ERA to 14.40.
In good times, Motte, 34, simply threw fastballs.