Justin De Fratus had thrown 35 or more pitches in three straight outings. The Phillies reliever did not resemble the pitcher who blossomed last season into one of the team's steady bullpen pieces.
He said he probably "looked like he was looking for something." That something came a week and half ago in St. Louis. The righthander met separately with manager Ryne Sandberg, pitching coach Bob McClure, and bullpen coach Rod Nichols.
The coaching staff told De Fratus he was not pitching with the aggression he showed last season. He was not attacking the zone, which lead him to throw an unnecessary number of pitches.