Gonzalez on Gonzalez
By Roch Kubatko
Jim Johnson gave up a run in the fifth, extending the Twins lead to 3-0. Ben Revere tripled and Michael Cuddyer singled.
Luke Scott just made another nice play at first, saving Scott Moore from a throwing error and getting the out.
Mike Gonzalez worked on his changeup today, using it more than his first outing, and didn't miss high in the strike zone nearly as often.
"I missed down in the zone, so that's a lot better today," he said. "Overall, it was a positive day for me."
Gonzalez threw the changeup to both left-handed hitters he faced.
"It's just trying to get my confidence going with that changeup," he said. "I know it's a good pitch and the coaches tell you it's a good pitch, but it's actually going out there and getting it done and feeling confident with it."
Gonzalez doesn't appear to be throwing hard, but he's not concerned with velocity in the second week in March.
"I don't even worry about the velocity until about a week before game time," he said. "That's why I really start raring back and letting it eat. Right now, it's just trying to get my location in and really work on those pitches. I'm really trying to work on a changeup that I really didn't have last year, so that's something in spring training you'll see me doing a lot of, going out there and just letting it go, throwing that changeup and trying to get a better feel for it."
Gonzalez was overthrowing in his first appearance, but he seemed a little more relaxed today.
"You are amped," he said. "You're trying to tone it down, but it is the second time I've been out there in six months, so I am a little amped. But I'm trying not to rush my body and I tend to do that sometimes."
Gonzalez was able to laugh about the 8-6-3-2 putout and Scott's decision to cut off Cesar Izturis' throw.
"I was two seconds from screaming at him, 'Let it go,' but that's why we work on PFP. That's what spring training is for," he said. "You don't see that during the season. I kind of chuckled because it was an out. It's a lot funnier when it's an out. I think he learned from it, that you're not supposed to do that. He'll be all right."
Gonzalez threw the changeup to both left-handed hitters he faced.
"It's just trying to get my confidence going with that changeup," he said. "I know it's a good pitch and the coaches tell you it's a good pitch, but it's actually going out there and getting it done and feeling confident with it."
Gonzalez doesn't appear to be throwing hard, but he's not concerned with velocity in the second week in March.
"I don't even worry about the velocity until about a week before game time," he said. "That's why I really start raring back and letting it eat. Right now, it's just trying to get my location in and really work on those pitches. I'm really trying to work on a changeup that I really didn't have last year, so that's something in spring training you'll see me doing a lot of, going out there and just letting it go, throwing that changeup and trying to get a better feel for it."
Gonzalez was overthrowing in his first appearance, but he seemed a little more relaxed today.
"You are amped," he said. "You're trying to tone it down, but it is the second time I've been out there in six months, so I am a little amped. But I'm trying not to rush my body and I tend to do that sometimes."
Gonzalez was able to laugh about the 8-6-3-2 putout and Scott's decision to cut off Cesar Izturis' throw.
"I was two seconds from screaming at him, 'Let it go,' but that's why we work on PFP. That's what spring training is for," he said. "You don't see that during the season. I kind of chuckled because it was an out. It's a lot funnier when it's an out. I think he learned from it, that you're not supposed to do that. He'll be all right."
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