Dan Cortes stopped worrying about impressing his manager and his pitching coach – at least he tried – and focused on the basics.
Breathing.
The hard-throwing Seattle Mariners rookie worked two scoreless innings in Monday’s win, and Eric Wedge praised him as one of the keys to the victory. It was his finest outing of the season, and a huge step forward.
“I always get those jitters and that nervous feeling. My mindset was to be aggressive and just pound the zone,” Cortes said Tuesday. “I’ve been working a lot in the bullpen, talking to (coach) Jaime Navarro about being calm and relaxed.
“You have to learn from your mistakes. My first couple of outings up here I was rushing, I was all over the place. I wasn’t controlling my breathing.”
Breathing is critical for young pitchers on the mound, and over-breathing doesn’t work.
“There would be times when I’d be breathing too fast and I’d catch myself and say, ‘Just take a deep breath and count to five,’” Cortes said. “It worked out. I’m happy with my outing.”
So was Wedge.
“Cortes was much more under control, much more consistent with his delivery and not trying to do too much,” Wedge said. “He doesn’t need to do too much.”
Without trying to throw too hard, Cortes hit 98 mph, and he used his breaking pitch when ahead in the count. As important, he didn’t walk a batter.
“I’ve always known I could throw strikes, but sometimes I lose focus during games and I try to be too fine,” said Cortes, 24. “Sometimes I’m too amped up. That’s when I’m focusing on my energy instead of the glove itself.
“Sometimes I’ve got to block everything out and just focus on hitting my target.”
“An outing like last night, it seems like it opened up some eyes, and the manager has confidence that he can put me in certain situations,” he added.
SHORT HOPS
The Mariners used eight rookies in Monday’s victory, something they hadn’t done in a non-September game since Aug. 28, 1977. Wedge said it wasn’t a big deal. “I started 10 one time in Cleveland,” he said. … Brandon League’s run to 30 saves was the third-fastest in club history, coming in 120 games. Kazuhiro Sasaki got to 30 saves in the Mariners’ 90th game in 2001, and J.J. Putz made it in the team’s 102nd game of 2007. … The Mariners will welcome newly signed pitcher Danny Hultzen and shortstop Brad Miller to Safeco Field this afternoon for a meet-and-greet with the media. … Remember, the player to be named in the Doug Fister trade with Detroit could be named any day now. Speculation has been it’s Chance Ruffin, a pitcher the Tigers drafted in the first round last summer. … Wily Mo Peña, 1-for-8 as a Mariner, didn’t play Monday or Tuesday, with Casper Wells manning the designated hitter spot.
ON TAP
Seattle hosts Toronto in a 7:10 p.m. game that will be televised on Root Sports. Probable starting pitchers: Ex-Mariner Brandon Morrow (8-7, 4.55 ERA) vs. Blake Beavan (3-3, 3.59).
larry.larue@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners
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