Rangers' Gonzalez hoping adjustment pays off this time around
Young Texas Rangers right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez is pitching for the club on Thursday in place of new ace Cole Hamels, who was scratched.
Gonzalez spent time with the Rangers earlier this season, with mixed results: the 23-year-old went 2-4 with a 3.74 ERA in seven starts, allowing 18 earned runs in 43 1/3 innings of work and showing some signs of struggling as opposing hitters adjusted to his pitches.
Since being sent down, Gonzalez told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News that he essentially rediscovered his curveball - or, more specifically, how to best utilize it: “I used my curve to change speeds and found my feel for it again. I got it back to where it was when I left [Triple-A] the first time. In my first couple of outings up here, I had success and didn’t really have to show it much. When opposing hitters started to adjust, I didn’t even think about going back to it. Now, I’ve got a ‘Choice D’ again to go with ‘A, B and C’.”
With Gonzalez very much a part of the Rangers' game plan for the future, seeing how he fares against MLB hitters this time around will be something the club will not doubt watch with keen interest.
