SARASOTA, Fla. -- Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Clay Holmes is still trying to get a good feel for a new pitch this spring.
The 23-year old right-hander has been working on a cut fastball-slider hybrid that he and fellow pitching prospect Tyler Eppler started experimenting with late last season. The results were promising. After finding initial success with it, especially when it comes to inducing ground balls, he has tried to make it a bigger part of his arsenal this spring.
"I threw it quite a few times today," Holmes said. "I got some spots where I could try and force some contact with it.