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The Trevor Bauer Express Rolls Through Peoria

PEORIA -- Trevor Bauer's second spring training start was among the more celebrated Friday for sure, with national media types from Fox Sports, CBS Sports and ESPN in attendance to see the 21-year-old Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander do his thing against the Seattle Mariners.

Calling Bauer offbeat probably isn't fair, but he's certainly unique. His pregame long toss, which started closer to the right-field foul line and ended up with him looping throws from straightaway left field all the way across the outfield, drew plenty of curious onlookers. Even the D-backs coaches had to send out a cutoff man in center field because the catch partner couldn't reach Bauer with return throws.

But the real reason to see Bauer was his potential. He was the third overall pick in the MLB First-Year Player Draft last June by the D-backs, and he's a legit competitor for a spot in the starting rotation.

After a scoreless two-inning debut last weekend, Bauer faced some adversity Friday, allowing two runs on four hits in three innings. He threw 44 pitches, 30 for strikes and struck out two. Brendan Ryan tripled and Mike Carp (on a dropped fly ball in left field) and Alex Liddi hit doubles off Bauer, who said he was missing more down in the strike zone than he preferred and had to work out of the stretch for the first time.

"I really don't pay attention to the results. I pay attention to how I executed my pitches and you're never going to execute at 100 percent efficiency, especially not outing to outing, so I think I executed a little bit better last time and a little bit worse today," Bauer said after he was done. "But that's to be expected, especially it being only my second time facing hitters. I'm not too worried about it. Good to be out there and learn a lot from it so I'll get better next time."

Bauer also took a shot to his left calf when Ryan lined a ball up the middle off his leg in what turned out to be a 1-4-3 groundout.

"Felt good physically, until Brendan Ryan smoked one off me. That hurt a little bit," Bauer said. "Got hit in calf... didn't really hurt that bad until I stopped moving around on it, and then I was like 'Oh!' Guess I got hit there. I don't like being pulled out of games. I was fine. Got to face another hitter."

Diamondbacks fans had to love that kind of response.

As for the long toss, Bauer shortened it Friday because of some deadarm he was feeling. He started doing it while in Texas on a hot and humid day when he was 14 years old when he was feeling loose, and has continued it to this day.

Bauer also makes his first warmup pitch on the mound an experience. He basically just rears back and chucks it with no regard to where it goes, telling the catcher he doesn't have to catch it.

"My high school coach told me to stop, and I just kept doing it," Bauer said of his long toss. "Mostly if they ask me about it, I say I have a purpose and a reason for it... they're OK with it."

Bauer won't be disappointed if he doesn't make the big-league roster.

"I try to learn and try to get better every time out," he said. "I don't really compete against the hitter, I compete against myself to execute pitches.

"The organization will decide what's best for them to win a World Series, and if I fit into it, great, if not, great. I'm going to keep trying to get better as a pitcher," Bauer added.