JUPITER, Fla. • On his first day back with the first team, former closer Jason Motte got a quick look at a new level the Cardinals want to take their pitchers. Mike Maddux, in his first weeks with his fourth team as pitching coach, watched the righthander finish his side session Monday and asked how many pitches he had remaining.
“Pitch outs,” Motte said, referring to a traditional finish.
“Pitch ups,” Maddux corrected, emphasizing up. “Pitch ups. It’s all about the height.”
After years of the Cardinals dwelling and thriving in the lower reaches of the strike zone — so much so that the sinker and ground balls became synonymous with them — Maddux is urging pitchers to take it up a notch, to elevate.