Dylan Bundy on Preparing for a Start

A few weeks ago, we heard from Baltimore infielder Manny Machado on how he prepares for an upcoming series. Today, we explore the subject from a pitcher’s perspective. On the same day I spoke to Machado, I asked Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy about how he goes about readying himself for his next start.

Like most every other member of a rotation, Bundy throws a bullpen session between starts, and he follows that up by watching video and reading scouting reports. But not every pitcher goes about those things the exact same way. Bullpen routines differ, as do the approaches to studying opposing lineups. Here is how Bundy does it.

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Dylan Bundy on preparing for a start: “Not every bullpen is the same. Some days I go out there knowing my curveball wasn’t very good in my last start, so I’ll work on my curveball that day. But most of the time, I’m throwing fastballs and changeups, and that’s it — 20 to 25 pitches. I have a basic routine. At least the first nine or 10 pitches are usually fastballs — up, down, in, out — and then I’ll throw four or five changeups. If I feel great after that, I’ll shut it down. If not, I’ll throw a few more pitches.

“Sometimes my body isn’t feeling all that great — the ball isn’t coming out the way I want it to — so I’m not going to work on pitches. I’m not going to work on things like movement, or even location, because I don’t have my body in the right shape to do all that stuff. That day, I’m just kind of moving. I’m throwing pitches and loosing up my arm and my body. I’m working mechanically, trying to feel the way I need to feel for the next game I’ll be starting.

“I don’t really ever base my between-starts bullpen on the game coming up. I’m not throwing specific pitches with a specific lineup in mind. I’m focusing on my last start — how my stuff was, and what I need to work on so that it’s better in my upcoming start. I’m going to throw to my strengths, as opposed to their weaknesses, probably 95% of the time.

“I do want to know the hitters’ strengths and weaknesses. I’ll start looking at the team I’m facing next a day or two ahead of time. I don’t want to do it four days in advance, because the chances of me remembering any one hitter four days ago is going to be tough. We have Chicago next, so I’ll probably start looking at reports and video tomorrow, then we’ll have our advance meeting when they come to town.

“If my next start is against someone in our division… like, I’ve already faced Boston three times this year. Coming into my last start against them, I didn’t really have to do a whole lot of research or video work, because I’d already faced them twice. I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. For teams I don’t know as well, I need to do more.

“The day of the game, I’ll talk to my catcher and to my pitching coach, and we’ll put together a game plan. There might be a few things we want to do differently. For instance, in my previous start against Boston… if there were one or two hitters I didn’t execute against, or if they had my number that day… we’ll look at that. I might try some different pitches to see what they’re staying on, and what they’re getting on.

“Conversely, if I’ve had success against a hitter, I’m not going to change until he shows me he can change. Like an inside fastball to a righty. If a guy isn’t hitting it fair, or if he’s swinging and missing, why would I change things up? You always want to go with what’s working for you. In the end, it’s all about executing your game.”