"The adjustment in Javier Vazquez's pitching motion was subtle. But over his last two outings -- both relief appearances -- it has paid a world of dividends.

Throughout his struggles, Vazquez's detractors pointed to the lack of velocity on his fastball as the reason for his demise. But after working with pitching coach Dave Eiland on a minor mechanical flaw -- the positioning of his leg kick out of the windup -- it appears Vazquez's heater now has more late life.

During Monday night's 11-5 victory over the A's, Vazquez pitched 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball to pick up the win in relief of Dustin Mosley. Vazquez's four-seam fastball averaged 89 mph and topped out close to 92, according to brooksbaseball.net, a website that tracks pitch statistics. He struggled to reach 87 or 88 mph when in the rotation.

All it took was Vazquez moving his leg kick backward and in, which, in turn, allows him to have more momentum going forward. And, as a result, according to the right-hander, his ball doesn't tail inside as much, because he's throwing more over the top instead of dropping his arm slot. "