On being sent down to Lowell after pitching out of the bullpen in Greenville: "They told me I'd be coming down here to start, which I'm hoping will help me get back on track. I was a bit upset when I went to the pen in spring training, but still went out and ran with it, trying to see how good I could be. It helped me to have even more respect for guys who do it. Blake Maxwell really knows how to turn it on and lock it in, and Tim Cox and Kyle Fernandes have made the transition well, but for some reason I didn't have the same success. In the back of my mind I knew I might get sent down, because they could see I was struggling. I believe in those guys, though -- the coaches and front office. They know what they're doing, and I'm going to take this as a positive and make the most of it. The bottom line is that I have to pitch well, regardless of my role."
On his up-and-down performances in Greenville this season: "I was definitely inconsistent, but it wasn't my command so much as my velocity. I'm not a velocity guy to begin with, but it's a problem when you're 87-90 one game and 80-81 the next. If I was in the low 80s in college, I probably wouldn't have even been drafted. I'd never pitched out of the bullpen before, and my arm just wasn't bouncing back very well. I was trying different things in the throwing program, but couldn't seem to find anything that worked. Instead of being consistent, it was a good version of me one game, and a bad version the next. That was frustrating."
On dealing with adversity: "It started with my arm, but it's mentally draining not to do your job well. It's hard to walk into the dugout after you just gave up four or five runs. I've struggled before, but when you start battling yourself, not just the other team, it becomes a problem. Kip (pitching coach Bob Kipper) was really helpful in my fighting through that. He talked to me about focusing on one pitch at a time and how the numbers aren't as important as making myself a better pitcher."
On his slider and change-up: "I'm throwing a sinker, change, and slider right now. My slider has been better this year. Last season, I struggled with my command of it, sometimes trying to do too much instead of just relaxing and letting it go. My change hasn't been as good this year, but I think that's a mentality thing more than anything. Moving back to being a starter should help me get it back to being a more consistent pitch for me."
On seeing-eye grounders and David Wells: "I'm okay with ground balls going through the hole. As a sinkerballer, I understand that's going to happen, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Baseball is a game where you can do everything right, and everything goes wrong. Other times, you do everything wrong, and everything turns out right. I read David Wells' book, and he was hung over when he pitched his perfect game. He's been a great pitcher for a long time, and that's the day he ends up with the game of his life? That’s crazy."