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The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION
New Blue Jays reliever Michael Schwimer hard to miss in clubhouse
DUNEDIN, Fla. - Newly acquired pitcher Michael Schwimer was hard to miss in the Jays clubhouse Sunday.
One, he stands six foot eight. And two, he was the only one with a Philadelphia Phillies equipment bag.
Toronto acquired the big man on Saturday from the Phillies in exchange for first baseman Art Charles.
The 27-year-old right-hander appeared in 35 games for the Phillies last season, with a 2-1 record with a 4.46 ERA. The Virginia native, a 14th-round selection of the Phillies in 2008, has a 13-4 mark with a 2.12 ERA over parts of three seasons at Triple-A Lehigh Valley and has a career major league ERA of 4.62 in 47 relief appearances.
He throws a fastball, sinker, change-up and slider with the sinker a new addition this year.
"I think it could be a real big pitch for me," he said.
"I haven't pitched it within a game yet but in bullpens and stuff, I'm very happy with it. But it's still a work in progress."
Schwimer added the pitch because while he was getting strikeouts and flyballs, he wasn't seeing many ground balls.
To make room on the 40-man roster, left-hander Luis Perez was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.
Schwimer is realistic about his chances of cracking a strong Toronto lineup.
"It doesn't take a real rocket scientist to figure out that I'm in maybe not the best position to make the team out of camp," he said. "Does that mean I'm not going to fight my ass off and try to compete for a job? No.
"I'm going to do my best to make their decision as hard as possible," he added.
The move from the Philadelphia to Toronto camp has only added a 10-minute drive to Schwimer's daily commute, shifting him to Dunedin from Clearwater.
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