Going primal results in modern-day gem for Price

The Tampa Bay Rays had detailed scouting reports available for David Price to study before he went out to pitch Thursday afternoon against Toronto, but he didn't read them. He didn't hold the customary meeting with his pitching coach and catcher, either.

Whatever strengths the Blue Jays might have thought they had, Price didn't want to know about them. He had a different approach in mind, one Manager Joe Maddon called the "primal method of pitching."

"That's just to see catcher, throw ball," Maddon said.

If he had thrown much better, scouting reports might become a thing of the past. Of course, if you're going to go it alone, it helps to have the kind of talent Price is blessed with, which was on full display in the Rays' 3-2 victory. He allowed one run and six hits, but more importantly walked only one and struck out seven. He pitched confidently and always under control.

It was just what we've been waiting to see since Price, now 3-3, was promoted from Durham. He was coming off a four-game stretch that had people questioning whether he belonged up here just yet. He failed to get out of the second inning in his last start at Texas, which continued a scary trend. In three of his last four starts before Thursday, Price combined for 121/3 innings, 20 hits, 16 runs and an 11.68 ERA.

Maddon summoned Price for a chat following the Texas game and told him, basically, to stop thinking so much. You've got talent, kid. Let that be enough.

"When you get young guys into your organization, everybody wants to trick everybody all the time," Maddon said. "You see a lot of young pitchers have success in the minor leagues because they have a second pitch that young hitters are unable to handle. That doesn't impress me. I look for the guys who are able to pitch with their fastball first."

That's just what Price did. He didn't overthrow - his best fastball topped out at 94 mph, a little under his maximum velocity, but there was no hint of the jittery wild thing that looked clueless against the Rangers. This time he had full command of that pitch and worked off it with the kind of swagger and arrogance he showed last fall when he made such huge contributions from the bullpen.

His work in the seventh game of the American League Championship Series against Boston was not the product of scouting reports, and that was the kind of approach he took in this one.

"I just took it back to high school and college," Price said. "That's when I made my biggest improvements was at Vanderbilt. I had the same kind of thing going on my sophomore year at Vanderbilt and it was a blessing in disguise.

"When it was going on it was awful, but when I got through it and got to the other side, it was the best thing that happened to me."

Price didn't have much room for error, not against Toronto ace Roy Halladay. But the Rays produced just enough runs and Price - with a great assist from the bullpen, particularly Grant Balfour - made it hold up.

That's actually consecutive wins over Halladay, for those keeping score at home. Jeff Niemann got the best of Halladay last week in Toronto.

"It just speaks to the future when you're going to have another tough matchup against a top pitcher, and you know that in your cache of victories that you have been able to match up against one of the best in his generation," Maddon said.

Price wasn't thinking about any of that. He didn't think about Halladay, or the hitters he was facing, or anything but the mitt held by catcher Michel Hernandez.

"I just wanted to go out there and be myself," Price said. "I don't want to know if a guy can hit an inside fastball or if it's 110 mph when I throw it, just make him prove to me that he can hit it. Every pitcher is different. I might throw 94 and so might somebody else, but it's not the same. Nobody's fastball is going to be the same.

"There's definitely some thinking going on out there but it's the smallest part."

This is going to give thinking a bad name.

See catcher, throw ball.

And if you have an arm like David Price, get outs. Lots and lots of outs.