Matt Strahm didn’t realize he was aiming, because every pitcher knows a preoccupation with location means you’re not throwing as hard.
But in trying to be more precise with his fastball, the result was just that.
So before his start this past Wednesday in Baltimore, Strahm decided to stop nibbling.
“I said, ‘Okay, screw the painting. Let’s just pick a side of the plate and attack it,’ ” he recalled.
It wasn’t exactly letting the big dog eat. Because there simply isn’t as much bark in Strahm’s fastball this season.
But the left-hander’s slowest offerings in the victory over the Orioles didn’t dip as low as they had been most of the season, and his average velocity was higher than it had been in more than a month.