Two sidearm pitchers aim to make Phillies bullpen

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Greg Burke said he was just a typical righthander who threw 90 m.p.h. After one season in the big leagues, he returned to the minors. Burke needed something, he said, to set himself apart from "all of the guys throwing 100 miles per hour."

During spring training with Baltimore in 2012, Burke found a way to be different. The South Jersey native started throwing sidearm and returned to the majors a season later with the Mets. Burke, who is competing for a spot in the wide-open Phillies bullpen, is one of two pitchers in camp who uses a sidearm delivery.

"It was more like an act of desperation," Burke said. "It basically saved my career."

Burke has spent the last two seasons in the minors. He had a 3.16 ERA last season in 22 games with Toronto's triple-A affiliate. The righthander, now 33, struck out 30 batters in 311/3 innings. Burke, who lives in Medford, played at Duke after graduating from Gloucester Catholic.

He crafted his delivery under the watch of Rick Peterson, a former big-league pitching coach who had been hired a few months earlier as Baltimore's director of pitching development. Peterson was a creative thinker who had experience working with sidearm pitchers. Burke developed a sweeping slider to accompany his fastball.

"It's just unorthodox," Burke said. "It's different. I think that's the biggest thing about it - you don't see it all the time. I think that plays an advantage."

Burke's spring training locker sits next to that of lefthander Bobby LaFramboise, who started throwing sidearm in 2010. LaFramboise, also a reliever, was told to switch his delivery by the Mariners when they saw him fielding balls with a sidearm throw.

LaFramboise, 29, who throws a slider and a change-up, pitched in 11 games last season with Pittsburgh, striking out eight batters in eight innings and allowing just one run. He threw a curveball - which LaFramboise said was not effective - until he changed his delivery. The breaking pitch became a slider as it started to break in like a Frisbee until LaFramboise harnessed its movement.

"I stood in and watched a guy throw [who] throws like me to see what it looks like just to get an idea," LaFramboise said. "And to me, that looked pretty difficult. It had deception. It was easy to buy in."

Jimmy Cordero is not concerned with the biceps injury that has kept him off the mound so far in spring training. The prospect expects to do so within the next week.

Cordero, 24, said he expects to be ready for the season. The righthander started throwing long-toss this week on a flat surface as he builds strength. Next week, Cordero said, he will throw a bullpen session and live batting practice.

"It just feels sore," Cordero said. "I'm not that worried. I want to build for the season. It will be better if I take it easy now."