Detwiler looking to smooth out mechanics

Harrisburg Senators left-hander Ross Detwiler notched his first win of the season Sunday with a 7-3 decision at the Reading Phillies. Detwiler went five innings, allowed seven hits, two runs, one homer, one walk and three strikeouts. He had a dramatic three-run double to seal the game for the offense but said he just caught a break on the hit. "It was my third or fourth at-bat of the year. I think I just got lucky. I got deep into the count. The ball found the bat somehow." Detwiler is really not giving himself enough credit. After all, he told me the pitchers have taken batting practice only once or twice up with Harrisburg and he had swung at the plate a few times in Florida. But to the pitching side of things, despite the win, Detwiler knows what he wants to concentrate on before Friday's next start. "First inning felt great. But after that I felt like I was feeling through my mechanics a little bit. That is one thing we are going to work on this week in bullpen session between the starts. Other than that, I just need to get ahead of the hitters more. I can't really complain about that because I got the win." So what happened after the first inning? "I don't know what happened. I don't know if I relaxed too much or what. I just felt like I was feeling my way through the mechanics instead of being smooth with them." Detwiler told me he felt the mechanical flaw on every type of pitch he throws. "Once you get out of sync it is hard to get back in." Is the velocity on the fast ball back to where it was before the hip injury? "Yes, and I am not even to the midpoint of my season yet. I think as the season goes on a little longer I will get a little stronger. It seems like Potomac, Harrisburg and Syracuse are all playing good baseball right now? "I really think that winning is contagious. Just like good hitting and good pitching is. When everyone around you is doing well you are going to end up doing well too." So what do you think you have to do mechanically to improve? "Just be smooth with my pitches. Do as many drills as I can to get comfortable with my pitches so that everything comes natural. How has Randy Tomlin been as your pitching coach? "He is great. The best thing for me is he was a left-handed pitcher in the big leagues, which is what I want to be. He knows how the life is and he really had a lot of success before he got injured. He really knows his way around." Did the mechanics issue start before the game Sunday against Reading? "I really think this started in the games against Richmond and Trenton. I think it will be an easy fix as long as I stick to it every day." With Detwiler going five innings for the win, he told me they are not quite letting him go just yet. He says he will get there soon. It will take him a little longer to get going because this is still really his spring training. He also told me the hip is back to 100 percent and feels like it did before the injury.