AP pitched their #2 and #3 last nite...
- Thread starter jbulldog
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their #1 is a very questionable fielder on the mound, fielding at an .800 clip(4 errors, 20 attempts). Look for us to put a ton of pressure on him playing small ball, far more than he's seen this year. He also walks/hbp ~ 4.2/9 innings and gives up ~ 9 hits/9. Basically, he gives up about 1.3 baserunners per inning(WHIP), which again lends itself to our small-ball philosophy.
I feel better about the matchup after reading that...
Also, their #3 basically closed last night. Threw to 4 batters(3 k's)...He'll be available to them if he's needed.
I feel better about the matchup after reading that...
Also, their #3 basically closed last night. Threw to 4 batters(3 k's)...He'll be available to them if he's needed.
Let's just keep in mind their SOS was #196 compared to our #20 (warrennolan.com). You've got to figure their ace would have put up different #'s if he played our schedule, just as our guys would have done differently against theirs.
...and right on the money. I expect to see several bunts, and that pitcher challenged with base steal attempts.engie said:
Or so I'm betting, not going to take the time to research it. Watched Todd all the way through high school and he is special, all 160lbs of him. For those that may not remember, Polk said he had a half dozen righty's just like him (wonder where the are now) and we didn't need him. Winning yesterday against him was big in my opinion.
AP pitchers are known for being very good at picking runners off-base. That's why they have a high number of balks, their moves are very close to the edge, making them difficult to read/steal against.
Throwing their third starter last night. They may not have a lot of faith in their closer, though.
To go with 5 balks and runners have successfully stolen 17 of 23 bases against him. Seems like a high legkick guy that telegraphs his move(most commonly by looking at first when he throws home, and home when he comes to first, or some little sign like this). More balks than pickoffs, along with that good of steal success against a lefty, definitely leads you to believe that a runner knows when he's throwing over(this info would be on most scouting reports). They probably haven't seen many teams quite as aggressive as us on the bases. We will probably be doing a bunch of first move stealing...which, if successful, will probably get in his head a bit!
IMO, those numbers don't appear to be anything overly impressive...especially compared to some of their other guys(your definitely right about all the balking and impressive pickoff numbers, just not so much this given pitcher). He's an upperclassman with a chance to step up. Those are always wildcards. Should be interesting to see...
IMO, those numbers don't appear to be anything overly impressive...especially compared to some of their other guys(your definitely right about all the balking and impressive pickoff numbers, just not so much this given pitcher). He's an upperclassman with a chance to step up. Those are always wildcards. Should be interesting to see...