Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
March 04, 2009
Why the Rockies are Losing

Pitchers and hitters are following a script:

In their first two appearances, starters had strict orders: Throw a first-pitch fastball away. If it was a strike, the next two pitches were inside fastballs. The idea is to emphasize the importance of fastball command and owning the inner-half of the plate.

The caveat? If the first pitch wasn't a strike, the pitcher could junk the plan. If I were a fifth-starter candidate, my first pitch would have probably been in the dirt. It's one thing to follow a plan, but it's hard to get your gray matter beaten in with a roster spot hanging in the balance.

On Monday, Angels hitters quickly identified the Rockies' strategy, having faced them two days earlier. They would take the first pitch strike, then "turn and burn" on the next heater thrown inside. It showed that even fringe big-leaguers such as Jeff Mathis and Brandon Wood can smoke a fastball if they know it's coming and where it's going to be. By contrast, when Angels starter John Lackey got two strikes early in the count, he buzzed a pair of Colorado batters.

Rockies hitters, too, have been forced to be patient, though the training wheels appear off. First, they couldn't swing at the first strike, then, starting Monday, they could, but not if the guy in front of them did. As Hurdle said correctly, "The best way to score runs in spring training is to jump on pitchers early in the count, but we have set up a different template."

I like this idea, especially for the hitters. Get them into the habit of studying the pitcher. We'll see if it pays off during the regular season.

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Posted by David Pinto at 12:25 PM | Spring Training | TrackBack (0)
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