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Lord Farquhar
Danny Farquhar, for a few games, has shed his morbid fascination with 91 MPH cut fastballs out-and-over the plate, and even thrown to the inside edge.
His first hitter in the 9th, Dominguez:
It was a delicious overmatch.
Next guy, also, two mid-90's fastballs, a changeup, and only one cutter. It was back-door to a LH, and not tee'd up.
Please, please, PLEASE tell us that you bought this guy a nice Chicago Dog from Weinerschnitzel and gently reminded him, "THROW WHAT THE CATCHER CALLS, OR WE'LL BEAT YOU SAVAGELY ABOUT THE HEAD AND SHOULDERS. UNTIL YOU LOSE INTEREST IN TRYING TO PITCH LIKE BRANDON LEAGUE."
Who has been getting 4 strikeouts per nine innings the last two years, thanks for axing.
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Farquahar, by the way, has a nasty cutter. It's in the top 10 in the AL for velocity. When he throws it to locations, it's a whale of a pitch.
But Farquhar has been doubling it up, tripling it, quadrupling it -- to high areas, and inside areas. He thinks it's untouchable. Not only does it get touched in those locations, but also he starts losing the feel on his fastball and slow curve.
On the year, he's got 21% heaters, 60% "cutters," and 19% curves. That's feebleminded. We mean it in a good way. You do realize his fastball is 94-95?
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By the way:
I notice that it was six (6) days between his 5-cutter display on the 14th, and the next time he got in. Then, the next two games, he threw like Danny Farquhar.
The narrative would therefore be: May 11, Waits and McClendon have had enough. May 14, Farquhar ignores them. May 14-19, they ignore him back. May 20th, we get Lord Farquhar.
Or not.
I have an almost unhealthy love for the classic curveball and this staff has more guys that deploy it than I can remember. The high heat/uncle charley attack is my favorite to see executed. Add in something that cuts and things get real in a hurry.
So Doc...I'm curious...why is Mariano Rivera's cutter more effective than Farquhar's? Similar break, similar speed, similar angle...what's the difference? There's obviously something different...curious what it is...because Rivera threw a brainless 90% cutters. :)
Lord Jeff (did you ever own a Lord Jeff sweater?), I was able to catch the last couple of inning on mlb.com just on the gameday. My first thought exactly...that 75mph curve has been missing! 94-95 to 75-77? Poor batter if thrown correctly. Lord Farquhar's cutters are great but like any pitch, normally if the hand is overplayed, it will get hit. Especially when it is over the plate. Even Felix gets hit hard when it is over the plate. Last night was solid. M's have gone 17-10 since the 7-13 and 8 game losing streak? Or something like that? Add Paxton and that is at least 18-9. Makes baseball a joy doesn't it?
Have a great Memorial Day! Puts is all back into perspective very fast!
Matt, you are the Sabermetrics man! I hope some of you respond to that. I am curious what the charts, your expertise may tell. No doubt a lot of potential reasons. Rivera had a better angle with the extra height, etc. Or variety to the cutter not looking identical each time. I am not smart enough to figure out the charts or math equations, but I would put my naïve money on Rivera's ability to get different movement to the cutter based upon the key to any pitch, particularly offspeed, location with late sharp movement. Late movement makes good batters look average fast.
Great question Matty :- )
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My complaint about Farquhar's cutter comes precisely when he throws it 89 MPH, bisecting the plate, stomach high, three pitches in a row.
AND when Farquhar starts tripling up on it, he comes even more sidearm, "floating" the cutter and taking its bite away. Mo was always way on top of his cutter.
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As well, Rivera had Moyer-like command of the cutter: he would hit the black with it, VERY consistently, 0-1 ... he'd go up the ladder like Iwakuma, he would front-door it to break back in on a RH and just nip the inside corner.
So Mo had the tremendous command -- he really did -- and he stayed on top of the ball -- and until the last few years he could go 90-96 MPH with that cutter, deliberately. Farquhar's is metronomically 89-90.
For all that, Farquhar has an EXCELLENT cutter and its proper use would be to induce contact when behind in the count.
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Not talking cliches. Talking observation. "Brainless" is letting the pitch go to get 9,000 kinds of plate and assuming the hitters are pieces of manure.
Farquhar closed one out, and Jack Buck was being interviewed, and Buck was laughing about Farquhar's suggestions. "He wanted a cutter on the hands :: laughed :: I said NO. I'm not going to call that." "What then?"
Cut to Bill Kreuger, visibly annoyed in the booth, "An inside slider on that pitch, that's just really stupid."
And like that.
Mo's height and angles...
He came so stiletto-sharp down the centerline, kept the fingers on top so well ... how often do you suppose he cut the middle finger under too much and sailed it? Did you EVER remember him throwing ONE like that?
The sheer tini-ness of his error rate on "sailers" ... mind-boggling, no? Or am I on the wrong track there Jeff?
So true Jeff. Watching Mariano pitch was like watching a Ben Hogan or even Iron Byron. Amazing ability to repeat his delivery, mental composure and control. Is this guy ever going to miss a shot? He didn't hit the 350 yard tee shot. He just never missed the fairway (of course, with modern equipment, Hogan would have been a very long hitter, especially pre-accident but this is a baseball blog!!!!).
Right on track as usual!! You never miss the fairway of analysis!