Two years after injury, Parrish back on bullpen track

<br>FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) _ John Parrish has gone from being left out to being a trusted left-handed option in the Baltimore Orioles bullpen. <br><br>Last spring, Parrish wasn't even on the Orioles'

Thursday, March 18th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) _ John Parrish has gone from being left out to being a trusted left-handed option in the Baltimore Orioles bullpen.

Last spring, Parrish wasn't even on the Orioles' radar _ or in their major league camp. He was removed from the 40-man roster while he was rehabilitating a knee injury suffered in March 2002.

A tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a spring training game against the Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers derailed his path to a full-time job in the majors.

``It was a simple play, the kind you do every day,'' said Parrish.

The left-hander slipped as he tried to plant his foot and spin to throw out a runner hung up between second and third.

``It was a freak accident,'' he said.

The injury may have had a silver lining for Parris. Pitching coach Mark Wiley said the reconstructive surgery fixed mechanical flaws in the left-hander's delivery and helped him become more grounded.

``He's under control more _ emotionally, mechanically, physically,'' Wiley said. ``He's able to slow himself down by himself, adjust himself better. His delivery is under control. He's found his slot, niche and tempo _ it just took him a while to find them.''

Parrish had come to camp in 2002 looking to create a place for himself on the Orioles. He had gone 1-2 with a 6.14 earned-run average in 16 appearances in 2001.

He had spent much of the offseason working on improving his endurance through running and aerobic exercise, a routine which was shelved once he hurt his knee.

When Parrish resumed workouts, he had to alter his delivery. To his surprise, the change produced positive results.

``My stride used to be way too long _ I had a 6-foot-5 guy's stride,'' he said. ``The injury shortened up my stride by a foot, so I've been able to get on top of the ball and throw more strikes.''

Parrish was better able to control his slider. When he lost command of his fastball, it returned quicker with the refined mechanics. A sounder delivery, Wiley said, enabled Parrish to develop a more effective changeup.

The left-hander cleared waivers, much to Wiley's amazement, and spent last year at Double-A Bowie, where he went 3-3 with a 2.00 ERA in 49 relief outings. Recalled to the Orioles in September, Parrish was 0-1 with a 1.90 ERA in 14 games.

``If anything, I gained the knowledge of how to come back from an injury and stay positive. ... I never asked why was I there or thought I was better than anyone else,'' Parrish said. ``I was getting a lot of work in. I was playing baseball. It wasn't frustrating.''

Now 26, Parrish is targeted to join Buddy Groom and B.J. Ryan as the left-handers in manager Lee Mazzilli's bullpen. Parrish isn't worried about a specific role, as long as he's able to contribute.

``Just give me the ball. I don't mind, as long as I've got the ball and they put me there in every situation, good or bad,'' Parrish said.

The injury that cost him the better part of two years produced some positives, Wiley said.

``It can be a blessing in disguise, though you don't know it at the time,'' Wiley said. ``I think he knows what's at stake. You only get so many chances.''