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Inning 3

Taijuan had enjoyed the Popup-to-SS results he'd gotten off his cutter in the 2nd.  Sure enough, hard cutters get blonks in triple-decker stadiums too!

He now used a Danny Farquhar (or Danny Haren!) pitch sequence on the leadoff guy:

• Cutter
• Fastball
• Cutter 
• Fastball
• Cutter
• Fastball 

Repeat as necessary.  Jamey Wright made a career out of launching this "Snake Tongue" L/R attack with 86 cutters and 90 fastballs.  With Taijuan, add 4-7 MPH.

No swings and misses, but the batter looked overmatched.  This was typical of many of Taijuan's outcomes:  few swings and misses, but easy outs.  In Halladay/Haren style.  

That will happen when your game is pivoting around a real hard cutter.  The cut fastball is not designed to produce a swing and miss; it produces blonks off the handle, or pool-cue shots off the end of the bat.  Then, the flummoxed hitter can be fanned later in the game (or in his career).

.........

The Mariners misplayed THREE (3) batted balls in this inning, all of which Geoff Baker scored errors.  Somehow, having to get SIX (6) outs in ONE (1) inning, the Astros scored only ONE (1) run.  FELIX (felix) Hernandez would definitely be proud to hold an inning together like that.

That said, Taijuan still was not getting swings and misses, although ...

• Fastball 94-97
• Cutter 90-92 (wowwweeee)
• Splitter 88

It was interesting:  when pressed to the wall, Taijuan fell back on the cutter.  This is exactly what Danny Farquhar does.

High fastballs, and overhand curves, are bids for strikeouts.  The cut fastball is a "safe-feeling" bid for a blonked two-hopper at somebody.  It's a fundamentally conservative approach.  

And it suggests that hardwired into Taijuan's brain is a real lack of greed.  Also see the first inning, steering the ball into the strike zone, as opposed to going for glory strikeouts (and getting into trouble).

...........

Wait, what.  Did you say splitter?

You did.  More on that later.

............

Anyway.  You really can't ask for more poise than that.  Correction:  you can't ask for that much poise.

.

Inning 4

Taijuan opened the inning with an 86 splitter, and then never threw it again.  This is a classic poker strategy:  play the first hand dramatically -- say with a huge bluff -- and then play the rest of the night in opposite fashion (betting tightly, for example).  The first hand leaves a lasting impression.

I dunno that Taijuan intended such a sophisticated head game; he probably didn't.  But a high changeup, first pitch, that's gutsy.  It served to poach an 0-1 count.

The toolbox:

• Fastball 94-95, looked 96
• Yakker 75 MPH, now he was snapping it off better
• Cutter -- was not used

So, this inning, Taijuan had gone to his Doc Gooden / Josh Beckett two pitch attack.  The results:

• A classic Doc Gooden whipsaw strikeout
• A feeble 4-3 groundout, when a RH poked a girly roller to 2B off a curve
• An 8-pitch walk to LH Brett Wallace, based on a few close strike calls
• A first-pitch popup on a jam fastball

Taijuan was not behind to many batters on the night.  They were trying to get him early in the count, and he was around the plate.  More of a Dan Haren performance than a Roy Halladay performance.

.

Inning 5

The M's staked him to a 5-1 lead going into the bottom of the 5th, and Taijuan came out throwing blizzards of fastballs to locations.  

His velocity was down a bit ... but the location was really good.  For example, with a 4-run lead, he kept the ball away from SS Villar, simply daring him to do something with pitches on the black:

In football, this would be called a "Three-Deep Prevent Defense."  The overall results in the inning:

• Popup
• Easy groundout
• Long fly out to CF

And Wedge did well to yank Taijuan on a successful debut.

.

Dr's Diagnosis

There is a lot of detail we could get into on both sides of the ledger.  Our next articles isolate his Fastball, Cutter, Yakker, and Splitter.  Here, we didn't get into a serious breakdown of his arsenal.  ... also, the mechanics, poise, and athletic ability make for fascinating discussion.

It was Houston, but there weren't a lot of those pitches that would have been hit by a better lineup.  Houston gave Taijuan allllll kinds of credit, tried to take him the other way, but he didn't leave much for them to hit.

...........

The 30,000-foot view of the Houston game:

• Only 6 swings and misses in 70 pitches ...
• ... because of a Dan Haren-like strategy based on cutters and location
• The potential for a more aggressive, 10K game was flashed at several points
• Remarkable that Taijuan should pitch with an old man's attitude and disposition

His delivery and command are wayyyyyyyyy ahead of where they should be, and that's why Paxton and Hultzen* (I know, I know) are not up yet.  The M's are massively into pitcher execution, and Taijuan's doin' it.

Taijuan's fastball will definitely be one of the league's most overwhelming fastballs; we'll explain why later.  His curve and splitter have exciting potential, though he's "steering" them right now, with mediocre arm action.  His cut fastball is an un-possible pitch.

He's going to make 3-4 starts, consolidate this offseason, and return to camp in 2014 as one of the AL's 20 best starting pitchers.  We'll see how quickly he climbs from there.

Felix, 'Kuma and Taijuan:  the Big Three is rolling.  Next subject?

BABVA,

Dr D