The secret to Gregerson's 2015 success? Staying 'in sync' on the mound
A key aspect of the Houston Astros' bullpen overhaul prior to this season was entrusting free agent signee Luke Gregerson as their closer - despite his lack of experience serving that particular role.
Gregerson has been a solid setup pitcher for years with the San Diego Padres and last season with the Oakland Athletics, but before 2015 he hadn't had extensive work as a ninth inning guy.
Despite his inexperience, Gregerson entered play Monday 18-20 in save situations and, as the Houston Chronicle's Evan Drellich notes, he has his highest strikeout rate (9.2 per nine innings of work) since 2010 in San Diego.
One of the keys to his success in Houston, he told Drellich, is his ability to control the tempo out on the mound: "I think in general, I think I just tried to slow everything down and not move too quickly to throw myself out of sync."
Gregerson's mindset in save situations is also mostly the same as it was when he pitched in the seventh or eighth innings. As he conveyed to Drellich: “It’s been good. I really feel like it’s the same scenario that you get into when you’re in the seventh or eighth. Obviously the ninth, it’s a little bit more vital position because the final three outs, you just got to go out there lock it down and make sure you secure that win. Something happens in the seventh or eighth, you got a chance to bounce back. It's that added little pressure in the game. But I feel like I've handled it well, feel like I've gone out there and done what I normally do, and things have been good."
Things have been 'good' for the Astros with him on the mound, and he's been a big part of Houston's bullpen turnaround - and, subsequently, their rise in the standings.
