The difference really hit Troy Patton on Thursday, after the fifth inning of his second start for Double-A Bowie.
His shoulder was still loose.
Patton went back out for the sixth and again threw a scoreless inning, extending his streak to 11 to start the season.
Not bad for a guy who was self-proclaimed "unpitchable" before having labrum surgery in March 2008 and missed an entire year of development.
"It goes back to ... 2007; it was always a battle to get loose," Patton said. "It was just so tight every time I shut it down. [Thursday] night eased my mind. My shoulder is still fresh in the sixth inning; I am feeling good."
Patton, 23, was considered the key player in the five-for-one trade of shortstop Miguel Tejada to the Houston Astros in December 2007. The Orioles were aware of Patton's left-shoulder issues but loved his upside and penciled him in as a 2008 starter. After attempting to pitch last spring, though, he decided to have surgery that would cause him to miss the season.
"I was unpitchable. If I could have kept my nose down and kept throwing, I would have," said Patton, who made his debut for the Astros at age 21. "It was to the point I couldn't throw a ball through a pane of glass. It was hurting so bad."
He made his Orioles return this spring, allowing two earned runs and three hits in two-thirds of an inning in one official appearance in big league camp. When the Orioles sent him out, it was to the Baysox and not Triple-A Norfolk. It would mean a little less pressure while allowing the front office to see him pitch more often.
"All decisions have a lot of discussion, but this one seemed pretty clear-cut, that it'd be best for him to start there," said David Stockstill, the club's player-development director.
Patton acknowledges that he was "a little bit surprised" by the assignment but not bothered by it. Stockstill was at Patton's Thursday start, and the left-hander didn't disappoint, allowing just three hits and striking out six in six innings.
"He looked real good," Stockstill said. "He had good command early in the game. He was making adjustments with his changeup and had a very good slider. He fielded his position well. It was outstanding."
Critiquing his own performance, Patton said he would like to have better command of and more velocity on his fastball. The stadium radar gun clocked it in the mid-80s, although scouts had it between 86 and 89 mph. Patton wants to get back to hitting 90 mph consistently, but Stockstill said he is not worried about how hard Patton is throwing.
