Harrison Looking To Own The Inner Half

Matt Harrison is set to face Rick Porcello and the Detroit Tigers today, in hopes of equaling the sort of success he had in his last start--his second of the season--in which he gave up one run over eight innings to defeat the Minnesota Twins. The key to that start, Harrison says, was establishing the inside fastball against right-handers.

"I was aggressive and throwing the ball inside," Harrison said, per ESPN Dallas. "I established I could get a strike inside to righties the other day and that really opened up the outer half. I was able to get some quick outs with two-seamers and changeups away."

Meanwhile, Harrison’s success this season has hardly been limited to right-handers--he is currently 2-0 with a .64 ERA, seven strikeouts and four walks. Against southpaws, Harrison has looked to establish a wider array of offspeed stuff than he might have used a year ago.

"I was throwing off-speed stuff for strikes," Harrison said. "Last year I used more sliders against lefties and I had more curves and changeups."