The M's will be playing for first place on Saturday. When the M's were -7 under, did you ever think you'd see that sentence this year?
- Texas - playing KC in a #5 SP vs #5 SP matchup
- LAA - Jered Weaver vs a resurgent Francisco Liriano who or what is an Anthony Swarzak?
- Sea - KING FELIX YEAHHHHHHH BABY
KEY 1: Michael Pineda's poise...
In his 10th start, Pineda finally had a "B game" -- check that, "C game" -- in which he did not execute his pitches.
His tempo was MUCH slower, his shoulders looked tight, and he was steering the ball IMHO. Too amp'ed up? Could easily have been.
No "coming out" party on ESPN.
At one point he had like 28 balls vs 26 strikes. Reminded me of a Randy Johnson 1991 game -- in trouble all night, but strike three bailing him out time and again.
For all that, did Pineda get blasted? No, his worst start was a win* over the New York Yankees.
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By the way, after Teixeira fanned over the top of that 3-2 slider, Pineda visibly relaxed. He blew them down the rest of the way, but his pitch count was already close to 80.
Huge learning experience. And at what cost? At no cost. We won.
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Edit to add, sho' nuff, after the game Olivo, Wedge & Co. were talking about (1) Pineda being too wound up, but (2) coping with it admirably.
Pineda's nerves did turn out to be the key to the game, but this is probably the last time that will be the case.
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KEY 2: The rest day for the juggernaut rotation...
Sho' nuff-nuff, Pineda had the good life on his heater again.
Compare Brooks' velo chart ... last 2 starts, Pineda had 50% of his pitches in the 94-96 belt and the rest below. Friday, Pineda had 50% of his pitches in the 94-96 belt and the rest above.
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Despite Wedge's protestations, the diagnosis here was a touch of dead-arm stage. An extra day of rest made a difference.
Dr. D enjoyed the 3rd inning: Curtis Granderson led off and swiped 2nd. There's your RISP, 0 out, Ruth and Gehrig a/k/a Tex and ARod up.
Two strikeouts. On the first, a 97 fastball preceded a wipeout 85 slider ... Tex, cheating way too much against the fastball, ole'd a slider down out of the zone.
The AB to ARod was amazing. Three challenge FB's right down the pipe, as though ARod were a 41-year-old Milton Bradley.
On 1-2, a low-away slider to set up the ladder fastball, Dr. D's fave sequence. Blew 'im away.
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The New York Yankees are loaded with rich lefty sluggers. Pineda's slider tonight had a runs/100 value of -4.08 runs. His slider has passed the final acid test against LHB's. (His overall game didn't pass a final acid test, because he didn't throw his game to be tested, and because he doesn't need any more testing.)
If you must, think of his slider as a parachute change. But. Accept. It. Is 'cause Michael Pineda is a baaaaaaad perpetrator and he's here to stay.
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KEY 3: Dr. K's Fire-and-retreat syndrome...
Actually the Yankees didn't fire and didn't retreat. They didn't back down, either.
They went up and put "pro at-bats" on Pineda, simply exploiting the fact that Pineda was wild and the ump was tight.
Next time around, with Pineda hitting the black, let's see what they do.
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KEY 4: Broken-system batting order ...
Sho' nuff-nuff-nuff, The three RBI's* came with Tex and ARod at the plate.
The steady pressure of the 1-9 rich guys led to some cracks in the dike and three runs. Overall: the Immovable Object shuddered a bit and only just held its ground. The Irresistible Force allllllmost broke through but was finally thrown back.
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KEY 5: Ichiro's jam pitches...
I thought that he was stepping up the line, looking to drive the jam pitch, all night. For example, huge game situation in the 2nd, two on, two out .... Burnett worked Ichiro to 2-2, and then Ichiro leaned up the line to rip a jam pitch.... nope, 84 curve right down the heart, called strike three.
In fact, Burnett threw Ichiro five offspeed pitches in 6 deliveries that AB. The point-counterpoint seems to be, if Ichiro is looking to go RF line, then throw him offspeed stuff for called strikes.
It's a finger-trigger game. You know that Ichiro is thinking up there. It's chess when he's hitting.
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Ichiro's huge double, later, he just tennis-volleyed the ball down the 3B line. I wish that Ichiro would just do that for about three weeks, just serve-and-volley to LF.
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KEY 6: Peguero, Ryan, Olivo, and the quality AB's....
Tonight's game was the first -- game #1 -- in which I felt like the M's offense was competent 1-9. First game this year, I thought that the offense was ready to go to war.
- ICHIRO - tough double the other way to get the M's back in the game
- LROD - stuck his nose into the zone for a BB and an RBI groundout
- SMOAK - RBI out
- CUST - 1-for-3 and a BB ... not an easy out now, even in a big game
- GUTIERREZ - Putting good swings on the ball (and steals HR's without Griffey flair)
- KENNEDY - Two more clean hits, finishing with the tennis racket low on the follow
- OLIVO - Hit, walk, and run scored
- Peguero - out of synch right now. Up-and-in is the book against him
- RYAN - white-hot, had a "hard" knock, an RBI and R scored
The only easy out on Friday was Carlos Peguero. Well, at least the Yankees telegraphed the book against Peguero. NYY will do that for you; their advance scouting is always state-of-the-art.
Peguero, by the way, is going to have to prove that with his swing, he can reach up-and-in. We know what he can do with pitches outside, and the 112-mph 351-foot HR was one he hooked off his kneecaps. But the way he leans in, with his loop zone, can he get the barrel to his chin?
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What I wouldn't give to see this exact offense, with Wilson in LF half the time, for the next ten games.
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KEY X - David Pauley and Jamey Wright did superb jobs against the meat of the $200M lineup...
... then Brandon League came in with his 1st-pitch fastballs, and fortunately had the 8-9-1 batters to deal with.
League did put his 1st-pitch FB's in good locations, did get ahead in the count, and once he's ahead he is an elite closer. So we live through another 1-run game. :- )
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Gave ya Kong now ya get the King,
Dr D
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