After throwing every other day in bullpen sessions, Adam Wainwright was among those who enjoyed their first session of live pitching against hitters on Wednesday morning.
“It was good,” said Wainwright. “I felt like I made some pitches, did some things I wanted to do out there. Gotta work on my fastball command on the first base side a little bit, other than that, everything was fine.”
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Having reviewed video earlier this spring, Wainwright was pleased with the results of the work he did this off-season to create more flexibility in his hips.
“Big time,” he said. “And I’m getting a little momentum into my arm swing too. I’m doing a couple of new things and things seemingly are coming out nice.”
The hip flexibility was part of an overhaul Wainwright did on his whole approach for this season, now weighing about 25lbs lighter than last year.
“Not as painful, my whole body to this point, for sure,” said Wainwright of the difference. “It was interesting, you’ve got to consistently make adjustments in your career. Early on in my career, when I was bigger and stronger, I felt better. I felt stronger obviously, but I felt in charge out there on the mound. Last year, I came in with that mindset. I came in as big and strong as I could possibly be, but I just got really stiff in the process. So I wasn’t an athlete as much anymore.
“So moving athletically much better, I am able to sink my hips into a lot of stuff, I’m able to keep my hips closed better, I’m able to move off the mound–field PFPs better, field ground balls and stuff like that. It’s a lot better.”
It has not yet been announced when Wainwright will make his first Grapefruit League start. Jack Flaherty will take the mound for the opener on Friday, with Carlos Martinez getting the nod on Saturday.
