Minor league baseball and actor Bill Murray don't have much in common these days.
Then again, you haven't listened to Missoula pitching coach Steve Merriman, who's been comparing this season's pitching staff to one of his favorite comedies and one of Murray's more well-known characters.
“We're taking baby steps,” Merriman says. “Just like the movie ‘What about Bob?' Do the work, take the baby steps and hopefully we'll get these guys going.”
It's been a rough start thus far this summer for Missoula's arms. Heading into Thursday's six-game homestand, the Birds are third in team ERA and last in innings pitched in the Pioneer League.
Still, Merriman hopes his pitchers embrace the attitude of the achingly-annoying, yet determined Bob Wiley, Murray's part in “What about Bob?”
“I told the pitchers in a meeting (earlier this season) that there are 50 things I need to tell you to help you pitch in the big leagues,” Merriman says, “and if I get to 10 of 'em this year, we're going to be pretty good.
“Now, I'm not saying that some of them won't get past that, but it's a step.”
Baby steps.
That was the phrase made popular by Richard Dreyfuss, who played Bob Wiley's shrink Dr. Leo Marvin. It was used to help Marvin's unstable patient conquer his daily fears. Now it's part of Merriman's teachings.
“Our job is to try and develop guys and see what they're stuff is like and how they do; how they're going to get handled down the road,” Merriman says.
Merriman and the rest of the Osprey are confident the pitching staff can turn its baby steps into championship strides by the end of the season.
“They all have a great mind-set on the mound,” says Osprey catcher Sean Coughlin. “They know what they want to do with the next pitch. They don't focus in on the hitters down in the order, they focus in on one at a time. It's a good mind-set that these guys have and I'm glad to be a part of it.”
A few pitchers are already starting to stand out just eight games into the season. Right-handed reliever Evan Scribner has given up just two hits in six innings of relief. Josh Ellis has yet to give up a hit or a run in two innings, while Josh Blake carries a slim 1.50 ERA in three appearances.
“The guys do a phenomenal job of hitting spots in and out and using that second pitch to their advantage,” Coughlin says. “They all have the put-away pitch, but they do a great job of commanding that second pitch and that's important for this level.”
Starter Tom Layne hasn't given up a run in two starts this season. He's allowed four hits in eight innings. The southpaw is a sinkerball-type pitcher, but most of his fellow starters like bringing the heat.
“We have a lot of guys with a lot of good stuff,” says Layne, who has a 1-0 mark. “There's a few power arms and a few guys that have to pitch to do their jobs. We should be pretty good.”
Dominican pitcher Santo Baez, the O's No. 2 starter, is 0-1 so far but is second on the team to Layne in strikeouts.
Twin towers Ty Davis (6-foot-6) and Luke Prihoda (6-5) join Layne as the only Missoula pitchers with a victory. The O's hope starters Cristian Beltre (0-0), Bryan Henry (0-0) and Jason Durst (0-2) can follow suit.
Merriman really wants to see his younger Dominican hurlers like Ramon Castro, Wascar Peralta, Yonata Ortega and Giornale Sena develop into contributors.
Sena and Ortega have struggled the most so far. Sena carries a staff-worst 12.00 ERA and six walks. Ortega has a 9.00 ERA and four walks. And both are known to uncork a few wild pitches from time to time.
“They have good stuff,” Merriman says. “They're just young mentally. If it's a one-run game, I'll do my best not to stick them in there. Sometimes though, you have to learn, too. You have to grow up and see if you can do it at this level.”
That doesn't mean throwing his young pitchers in the mix to see if they can sink or swim so to speak, like Dr. Leo Marvin tossing the undesirable Bob Wiley into the lake, before taking him sailing later.
Murray eventually did sink. He was part owner of the Butte Copper Kings, who abandoned the Pioneer League in 2000.
“I try to put guys in situations where they're going to be successful,” Merriman says.
And for good reason.
Pitching played a big role in carrying Missoula to a Pioneer League championship just last summer. Many of those guys - including stars Osbek Castillo, Hector Ambriz, Daniel Stange and the wildly memorable Jason Neighborgall, started off similarly to this year's Osprey pitchers.
That group of Birds began the 2006 campaign 4-4 before guiding the organization to its second league title in just its eighth season in Missoula.
This year's Osprey are 3-5 through their first eight games. Merriman says he's kept tabs with last year's pitching coach, Mel Stottlemyre Jr., to help chart the progress.
Stottlemyre, who was promoted to Arizona's minor league pitching coordinator in the months after the O's title, benefited from more than talent, Merriman says.
“When you get that kind of pitching at this level you're going to be pretty successful,” Merriman says. “But I don't care at what level you're talking about, to win championships you have to have some luck somewhere along the line and I'm sure it happened for this Osprey team last year. Something happened and ‘Wow' it was a lucky break and that sort of sent them on their way.”
So far the Missoula arms have shown flashes of that '06-type stuff, but until their break comes these Birds continue to make baby steps. Baby steps toward another big summer.
“I wasn't part of last year so it's hard to tell, but the guys we have on the mound that I've caught for are certainly the caliber of pitchers that can carry us,” Coughlin says. “As far as looking forward in the season, I think the guys are going to do a good job.”
Reporter Nick Lockridge can be reached at 523-5298 or by e-mail at nick.lockridge@lee.net
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