Talking with: Chad Billingsley

BK: Is there an adjustment to the idea that you might pitch everyday, and need to prepare for that?

CB: Yeah, it's a little bit different, because you never know when you're going to pitch.  When you're starting, (you're going out) every fifth day and you know when you're pitching.  Having your mindset.  Even when you come out there to pitch during the game, there's a different way you approach the hitters.  It's a little bit different, and I'm still kind of adjusting to it.  I'm just happy that the arm is still healthy, and that I've been able to bounce back fine.  Everything else will come, getting more time and experience at it.  I haven't ever really done this.  Last year, it was just the last couple weeks of the season.

BK: And you still had that starter's mentality. 

CB:  Yeah.  And it was just a couple appearances.  So it's a new role, trying to get adjusted. 

BK: Did it help to know fairly early in spring training what your role was going to be?

CB: Yeah, it helped out a lot.  Halfway through spring training, I was trying to condition my arm, getting ready for pitching one inning, coming back, day off, pitching another inning.  I was doing alright.  It was better than I expected, to be able to bounce back.  And right now, I think my arm has adapted to that way of pitching out of the bullpen.  Now it's just getting everything else together.

BK: I know the organization down the road still thinks of you as a starter.  I assume you do--

CB:--Oh yeah.  I love starting.  I said during spring training when I first knew I was moving to the bullpen, that a lot of great pitchers started their careers out for the first couple years out of the bullpen.  It's also helping me learn, getting experience, knowing a new role coming out of the bullpen.  And maybe towards the end of my career, I'm going to be forty or so years old, and won't be able to throw that 95 mile-an-hour fastball, and won't be able to start, and might have to move to the bullpen.  So it's a learning experience, and not a negative at all.  I would love to start.  That's what I've always loved to do, but it's something new, and is going to be good for my development. 

BK: That was going to be my next question.  What do you think you can learn in the bullpen can help you down the road when you eventually re-enter the rotation?

CB: When you come out of the bullpen, you're going out and maybe only have one or two innings.  You have to go out there and be aggressive.  And last year, I might not have been as aggressive, or really attacked hitters.  But when you're out there for one, two, or three innings, it's nothing like when you're  a starter going five, six, seven innings, or even sometimes a complete game.  It's really teaching me to go after hitters, to get that first pitch strike, get that first guy out.  When you're coming out of the bullpen, if you're in for one inning, you always want to get that first guy out.  If you're up by a couple runs, you want to get that first guy out.  It makes it a lot easier on a pitcher. 

BK: And that's a good lesson for you, since last year you had a lot of innings where you got yourself into trouble, and then would seem to find your focus and get yourself out of it.   

CB: I'm still learning.  I'm young.  I just always want to try to get better, and do the best I can.   I've only been doing it for a couple weeks now, and I'm still getting the hang of it. So I'm just going to keep learning, and try to improve. It's my new role, and I just want to become solid at it, so Grady doesn't have to worry about me.  I just want to keep improving.

BK: Are they hazing you a little bit out there? 

CB: No.  We've got a great team here.  A great bunch of guys.  I'm just really happy.  We have a lot better team than what we had last year, I think.  Pitching, hitting, and defense, the whole thing.  Being on team with this ability and talent, who knows what can happen.

BK: Better to be doing this here than starting in Vegas.

CB: Definitely.