Gus Schlosser proving he’s got a big-league arm

BRIDGEWATER – You might not bat an eye if someone ordered a “Gus Schlosser” at the local watering hole.

But, suffice it to say, the Somerset Patriots reliever has been a refreshing addition to the club since being signed earlier this week. And if he can match what he did in his Tuesday debut, getting a drink named after him at the “Handle Bar” on the third-base concourse at TD Bank Ballpark isn’t out of the question at all.

“I thought he looked pretty polished for being off for close to two weeks,” said manager Brett Jodie of Schlosser’s perfect fifth inning, one that earned him the win.

“To not only come in and dot up with his fastball like that, but he came in and threw all three of his pitches for strikes, that was pretty good. He was pretty hard on himself when he missed location with his fastball — he got outs with it — but I like to see he was upset and knows that he can’t make mistakes like that and get away with it very often.”

Surely, Schlosser is out to prove that getting released by the Colorado Rockies organization in late July was a mistake as well. After all, he was at the major league level just last year, having appeared in 15 games for the Atlanta Braves in 2014.

The sidewinding righty made the club’s Opening Day roster, something he never expected as a nonroster invitee to spring training.

“On the last day, I was told right before we got on the plane, and it was everything you dream of,” Schlosser said. “It started to hit me once they moved my locker. I was kind of on that row where it’s known that you’re in the first cut, which was fine. But towards the end of camp, there’s less and less bodies, and you start thinking about it a lot more.”

His first foray into independent baseball marks somewhat of a crossroads in his career. After struggling in a September call-up with the Braves last year, they intended on bringing him back this year but instead traded him to the Rockies in January. Colorado stashed him in Double-A, where he posted a 7-4 record with a 4.84 ERA, and he had some soul-searching to do about his next step after they let him go.

“I talked to my wife, Caitlin, and she’s the best thing ever,” Schlosser said.

“She told me to go finish out the year, and I told her that if God wants me to keep playing baseball, he’ll let me. You can call this a bump (in the road), I guess, but I’m just looking to keep playing and pitch well enough to where I hopefully get a chance. It would be a nice comeback story, I don’t know. But I know I’m here today.”