Phillies’ Vince Velasquez throws 5 rehab innings, ‘ready’ for return
Philadelphia Phillies starter Vince Velasquez turned in his best rehab appearance with High-A Clearwater.
A third rehab start meant another minor league affiliate for Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Vince Velasquez.
Following appearances with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and Double-A Reading, the right-hander was sent to High-A Clearwater.
Based on his results, perhaps the remainder of his rehabilitation should be at the Phillies’ spring home.
Velasquez, who was placed on the 10-day DL with a right elbow strain on May 31, allowed two hits and an earned run while recording five strikeouts in five innings on Thursday night. He held a no-hitter heading into the fifth and finished with 71 pitches (44 strikes).
“Everything is feeling really good,” Velasquez said post-game. “That was pretty much the objective going into the day: 75 [pitches], five innings.”
The California native was dominant, especially the first time through the order. Four of his five strikeouts came within the first nine hitters. Velasquez threw first-pitch strikes to 10 of 17 batters while regularly hitting 94 mph and topping out at 96 mph.
The only mistake of the evening was a 0-1 off-speed offering to the Mauraders’ Jordan George.
“Today was really solid fastball, changeup, curveball command,” said Velasquez. “That slider just wasn’t a good pitch selection. It was kind of bad on my part. Other than that, I was cruising with everything.”
Now in his second season with the Phillies, Velasquez has struggled to replicate the success which defined him last year. In 10 MLB starts this season, the 25-year-old is 2-5 with a 5.58 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 50 innings.
The past aside, Velasquez’s injury allowed him to turn his focus towards improvement.
“This whole month I was focused on trying to become consistent with my secondary pitches,” he said. “I know how important that is when you don’t have your electric stuff.
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“That was pretty much the main goal: Throwing today’s game for five innings and seeing how I can adapt with my secondary, how to change speeds, how to throw it for first-pitch strikes and force outs.”
The former Houston Astros’ prospect has been hit hard when throwing off-speed pitches in 2017. Opponents are batting .395 with 13 extra-base hits and six home runs when he uses an offering other than his four-seam fastball.
“I’m really not the best with secondary consistency,” said Velasquez. “When you pretty much lose your arsenal and pitches, it’s tough.
“When I had my down time in Reading and Lehigh [Valley], working with the pitching coaches — they really helped me a lot with my secondary pitching, throwing curveballs, trying to find the right slot. And, just be consistent with my whole entire mechanics.”
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Following Thursday, Velasquez owns a 3.60 ERA and 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio during his rehab stint. Regardless, he is unsure when his return to Philadelphia will come.
“At this point, I’m not sure,” said Velasquez. “I have probably another bullpen, and I’ll go from there.
“I’m ready to go.”