Indians pitcher Justin Masterson will go for his fifth win in his sixth start Sunday against the Royals. Masterson has been a standout arm for Cleveland and manager Terry Francona pins his success on the right-hander's willingness to mix his pitches.
Masterson would often rely heavily on his sinking fastball during a down year in 2012.
"He's got the two fastballs -- the two-seamer and the four-seamer, and they kind of do different things," Francona said, per MLB.com. "He elevates. His breaking ball at times has been just outstanding, and he's even mixed in a changeup from time to time. I think the biggest thing is, when things start to [go bad], or he gets behind in the count, he doesn't just have to keep throwing one pitch. Last year, when you look at the video, there were times when he'd throw pitch after pitch after pitch, and kind of get in a rut. He's got different ways to kind of reel it back in."