August 23, 2008 Tony Pena believes a small mechanical adjustment is to credit for his return to dominance out of the back of the Diamondbacks' bullpen, according to the Arizona Republic. He has issued no hits and just one walk in his past 4.2 innings, while striking out seven. He made a change to his left leg as he nears the end of his delivery, and said, "What I did was, on my landing leg, I'm not landing as stiff. When I land, it's not hard, it's soft." When he landed hard, it prevented him from finishing his slider, causing it to flatten. Now he's getting more movement on the slider, which accompanies his mid-90's fastball.
Our View:Pena looks to fare well down the stretch, and should hold favorable value in leagues that put a premium on setup men.
February 26, 2008 Tony Pena finally got his visa on Tuesday, according to the AP. He's been working out at the Diamondbacks' academy in the Dominican Republic, so hopefully he won't be too far behind the rest of the pitchers when he arrives in camp.
February 24, 2008 Tony Pena still is stuck in the Dominican Republic, while awaiting his visa, according to the Arizona Republic. It's not clear when he'll join the Diamondbacks, but he's been throwing at their academy in the Dominican, so hopefully he won't be too far behind when he finally gets his paperwork taken care of.
February 20, 2008 Tony Pena remains in the Dominican Republic due to visa problems, according to the Arizona Republic. It's not clear when he'll be ready to join the Diamondbacks, but at least he's been throwing bullpen sessions and working out at their academy in the Dominican.
February 16, 2008 Tony Pena will be delayed in coming to spring training due to visa problems. "It seems like it is more of a problem this year than in the past, not only for us but for a lot of other teams," general manager Josh Byrnes tells the East Valley Tribune. Pena has had problems ever since changing his name four years ago.
