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Sunday, April 29, 2012

{allcanada} Alvarez claims first win as Jays explode in 8th

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TORONTO - The rapid development of Henderson Alvarez's slider this season suggests his search for a reliable breaking ball is over, and the Toronto Blue Jays have Felix Hernandez, in part, to thank for that.

Last August in Seattle, the Mariners ace showed the then rookie right-hander who grew up idolizing him how he grips his wipeout slider during a nearly 30-minute chat in the Safeco Field outfield about life in the big-leagues, and how to find success.

Alvarez decided then and there to see if the grip would work for him, too, and the results have thus far been impressive, especially after some adjustments the Blue Jays helped him make in throwing the pitch this spring.

The growth in that pitch is one reason behind Alvarez's strong start to the season, including the six-innings of one-run ball in a 7-2 victory over the Mariners on Sunday that earned him his first win of 2012.

With a third quality offering that comes out of the same slot as his fastball and changeup, the 22-year-old is now better able to keep opponents guessing.

"When it's coming in it looks like it's going to be a hard sinker, but then it goes the other way," said pitching coach Bruce Walton, who describes Alvarez's progress with the pitch as, "unbelievable.

"It took us a little time, but now he's pretty good with it."

He certainly was that Sunday in helping the Blue Jays (12-10) take a second straight from the Mariners (11-12) and secure their fourth series win of the year before a crowd of 22,320.

Alvarez (1-2) gave up six hits, one of them Chone Figgins' leadoff homer in the first, and a career-high three walks, effectively working around any trouble he got into. He left after Muenori Kawasaki's single to open the seventh, but was picked up nicely that frame by Evan Crawford. Casey Janssen and Francisco Cordero, who allowed Miguel Olivo's solo shot, followed up with an inning apiece to wrap things up.

Offence was again at a premium through seven innings for the Blue Jays, who knotted things up against Jason Vargas (3-2) in the fifth on Kelly Johnson's two-out RBI single and went ahead on Edwin Encarnacion's solo shot in the sixth.

They picked up some breathing room in the eighth on Brett Lawrie's two-run double - set up by Encarnacion getting plunked on the right arm by Steve Delabar and an intentional walk to Rajai Davis that loaded the bases - plus a throwing error by Olivo that allowed Davis to score, and a two-run shot by Jeff Mathis.

The win was just the second overall for Alvarez, but if the slider takes the expectation is that many more will come.

He arrived in the majors throwing a curve that wasn't especially effective, particularly because it sat around 82-84 m.p.h. like his changeup. After the conversation with Hernandez, Alvarez threw 94 sliders before the season's end, 56 of them for strikes, generating 11 outs while yielding eight hits.

Through his first four starts this season, he'd thrown 80 of them (20 per cent of his total), 52 of them for strikes, collecting 17 outs while giving up just two hits.

"We thought maybe if we get him over there and he sees how Felix throws it, holds it, all that, that maybe will speed up the progress," said Walton. "He idolizes him, so why not hold it like him, and he did, and it all just kind of came together."

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