SAN FRANCISCO —
Joey Lucchesi has been working faster, pitching better.
“I think the most important thing I’m doing differently is my rhythm,” he said after beating the Red Sox last Sunday. “I’m just telling myself, ‘Frick everything. Just get on the mound and go.’ ”
At the suggestion of pitching coach Darren Balsley, Lucchesi has been leaving the rubber less frequently, getting set quicker, taking less time between pitches.
Saturday night, it worked even longer.
His working through a jam in the sixth inning kept the game tied before Manny Machado’s triple and Josh Naylor’s single in the eighth inning put the Padres up for good in what ended up a 4-1 victory over the Giants at Oracle Park.