Nationals pitcher Ross Detwiler finds his comfort zone

VIERA, FLA. — Ross Detwiler does not have much to worry about these days. He arrived here for spring training two weeks early, armed for the first time with certainty about his place in the Washington Nationals’ rotation. Detwiler married his longtime girlfriend this winter, then cut short the Hawaii honeymoon to visit U.S. troops in a war zone, an experience that awed and humbled him. The last time he stepped on a mound, he seized a win-or-go-home playoff game by the throat. He is taking up golf, and is still new enough to the game that it doesn’t frustrate him.

His only concern may come when he walks off a bullpen mound and sees Manager Davey Johnson stalking toward him. “He doesn’t beat around the bush at all,” Detwiler said. Detwiler knows Johnson will tell him, in no vague terms, to throw more curveballs and change-ups.

Video

After winning the NL East in 2012, the Washington Nationals are coming into the year with a cacophony of hype. But Thomas Boswell says focusing on this year’s potential is missing the point.

Nationals Journal

Insight on the Nationals and all the latest news from Post reporters Adam Kilgore and James Wagner.

Detwiler will use this spring to try to step forward, at 26, as one of the best left-handed starters in baseball. Overshadowed by the rest of the Nationals’ rotation, Detwiler spent the final two months last season as perhaps their best starter, a lefty who could hit 96 mph and, on some nights, take over a game with one pitch. He marked his performances with newfound body language, all smiles and shrugs.

“It just comes with being comfortable, really,” Detwiler said.

Comfort defines this spring for Detwiler. The hip surgery that once threatened to derail his career is barely a memory. His rebuilt mechanics come to him easily. Last year, he briefly toggled between the bullpen and the rotation. This spring, he knows he has already earned a spot by virtue of his finish in 2012.

From July 17 through Sept. 20 last year, Detwiler went 9-4 with a 2.76 ERA. After he finished the regular season with two subpar outings, he helped extend the Nationals’ season in the National League Division Series, holding the St. Louis Cardinals to one unearned run in six innings.

“He’s just so kind of — not goofy, but he’s so relaxed,” catcher Kurt Suzuki said. “He has a good time. You see him smiling a lot.”

Detwiler accomplished the successful run by leaning on his sinking fastball. Last year, he threw fastballs on 80.3 percent of the pitches, more often than any other starter in the National League. One start, he shut out the Philadelphia Phillies for seven innings while throwing 85 sinkers in 88 pitches.

“He has an idea what he wants to do,” pitching coach Steve McCatty said. “Sometimes, he can be stubborn. But he’s learned how to change what his game plan is, because he’s seeing what’s going on, reading the situation of the games.”

The Nationals, especially Johnson, want Detwiler to throw more curves and change-ups, to keep hitters guessing and to set them up for later in the game. “I don’t think it’s about developing. I think it’s about trust,” Suzuki said. “He’s got it. It’s there. You have to be confident when you’re throwing it. I think towards the end of the year, he’s got more success with it, which allows him to be more confident. If he mixes some off-speed pitches in, I think it’ll put him over the top.”