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Story 52
Interview with Arizona Diamondbacks Manager Torey Lovullo
Stone Bridge High School alum J.B. Bukauskas in his first spring training game of the
2021 season, pitched vs the Colorado Rockies. He pitched 1 inning and struck out 2 batters .
Photo Credit : Arizona Diamondbacks/Taylor Jackson.
Question : Hey Torey, so I didn't have a chance to ask you this the other day two of your guys that came out of the bullpen the other day J.B Bukauskas and Taylor Clarke. What were some things that you liked in their outing and what do you think are some things they can improve on.
Answer : "Yeah, you know, I think we've transitioned transition JB into, into a bullpen piece and he is just getting familiar with, with what it's going to take for him to get to get ready and step into a game tonight, tomorrow and the next day potentially you know and with with a starter I think there's more of a routine that you get accustomed to that it's a it's a every five days situation so. But I love what I saw yesterday. You know the fastball changeup combination was very was very good. We want to see him continue to build on those two and add that third pitch the breaking ball, and we know it's there, it's just a matter of execution and he'll be he'll find that timing on that. Taylor I thought through the ball really well. Also, he, he commands several pitches. He can throw them anytime in the strike zone and that really works well for us in game planning and being able to position our defense behind and so, just for Taylor to continue to not misfire I think that's where everybody's at right now to work the edges of the plate. He'll continue to get those opportunities and get big outs".
Taylor Clarke in his first spring training game vs The Colorado Rockies pitched 2 innings and struck out 2 batters in the first inning of 2021
Photo Credit : Arizona Diamondbacks/Casey Wilcox
Part 2 :
Interview with
Arizona Diamondbacks Manager Torey Lovullo
Arizona Diamondbacks Manager, Torey Lovullo, walks out to the dugout during today’s spring training game
Photo Credit :Arizona Diamondbacks/Taylor Jackson
Question : Torey, last time I talked to you, you know, we, I asked you, you know, is Taylor possibly going to make a start you know obviously he's starting today. For him, did you have any limits for him today or can we see a certain amount of endings, what, what do you want to see Taylor do today?
Answer : Yeah, I think it's the ideas continue to get him stretched out we're trying to stretch out 14 Guys, he's one of them. Just to get his pitch count up and about 60-70 pitch range. Let us, let him get as many Up Downs as you possibly can, four or five Up Downs, and just given the ability to repeat pitches and mechanically make adjustments at bat to at bat. Taylor's been on a real nice run, he's been throwing the ball extremely well there. There have been, you know, certain outings, you guys have seen in a games or been other outings and be games that I've been able to watch. He's having a terrific spring it throwing the ball very well we'll continue to.
Question : Hey Torey I know we talked about it during pregame of Taylor's
start but what are your thoughts over on, on how we did today.
Answer : Yeah, I mean it was for really crisp clean eating out in the zone. I thought he did an unbelievable job one pitch behind in the count of locating some secondary stuff that got right back into the count, and you know that's an automatic trigger to the head or that when you see a one oh curveball, breaking ball or change up, it immediately puts you on the defensive because you don't know what's coming next and, you know, when you feel the pressure of a pitcher landing that type of stuff. It automatically sways the advantage back to the pitcher and then Taylor took it from there, you know, he got back into accounts when he needed to, and finish guys off he made pitches when he was ahead and count, and the count finished guys off it was a pretty complete outing by him.
Interview with
Arizona Diamondbacks
Pitcher J.B. Bukauskas & Manager Torey Lovullo
Question : Good morning Torey, you know, you mentioned you called the JB, him and Taylor, both played in the Northern Virginia area. They played at rival high schools How ironic is to see, you know, your being in Nats Park having two local guys, you know, being on the same roster, you know, as they say baseball's you know a magic game how How ironic is that to see those two guys and how excited are you to see what JB will bring.
Answer : Yeah, well first of all, JB comes with, with great expectations and he's, he's really taken off over the past several months and I'm excited for him to, you know, to get here shows what he can do and just continue to be himself and be the best version of himself without changing anything and you know you combine that into the fact that both of these players are from this area, families are engaged and they're around and, you know, with some of the travel restrictions and the challenges to get to get parents and loved ones to the stadium, especially for being your, your major league debut, it, the challenge is always there, but the fact that you drive 10 minutes is pretty spectacular. And every once in a while baseball gives you back, one of these little golden moments. It's, it's obviously challenging because it takes you all over the country. But I believe in fate, and I think fate, fate took us to this special moment for both guys especially JB.
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Left & Right : Stone Bridge alum J.B Bukauskas with his former high school baseball coach Sam Plank.
Broad Run Alum Taylor Clarke with his high school baseball coach Pat Cassidy & his son Tyler pre-game vs The Nationals
Photo Credit : Plank & Cassidy Family
Question : Hey JB congratulations much, I got a couple questions for you, My first one, you know, you're from Ashburn Taylor Clarke from Ashburn you guys played you know at rival high schools now being called up, you know, being in DC house. How special is that to be a local guy, and having a teammate who is also a local player.
Answer : You know, it's been great. Clarke he's been awesome, since the day I got traded over here. You know in spring training just kind of, you know, always being, you know, outgoing towards me and, you know, bringing me along, you know, play catch all that kind of thing you know, it's been, it's been awesome and have been really thankful that you know I've had the opportunity to you know be around them, so.
Question : When you when you got the call. What was going through your mind and then for, you know, like I said you know you played around here, you know, obviously I've been covering since your days in high school and you know, Coach plank what is Coach plank meant to you throughout your baseball career as well?
Answer : The world, you know, I've been being coached by him since I was about eight years old. So I'm hoping he's here today, that'd be awesome. That'd be really cool. But you know he's meant the world you know that it's been a really fun ride so like I said I'm hoping he can be here today.
Question : JB, what was the biggest thing that you kind of learned, you know about yourself, you know, going through this great spring training and then going through the alternate site, what were you most proud of that you worked on through this whole process.
Answer : I think my, My strength or inability to command aspect of things. You know I've had. I feel like it's good stuff coming out through the miners command has been shaky and I feel like I've, you know, kind of honed in on that and I think that's kind of where I've been seeing some better results. So I just want to keep that keep that rolling
Broad Run alum Taylor Clarke pitched 2 out of 3 games in the series vs The Washington Nationals in D.C He struck out Washington Nationals Outfielder Juan Soto
Photo Credit : Arizona Diamondbacks
Interview by BURG Sports Network Owner Michael Ferrara
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