.... bullpen ....

 ...............

=== Steve Delabar ===

As the shepherd sayeth, so sayeth the flock.  

So, who said this?  "After League in the 9th and Wilhelmsen in the 8th, the roles in the bullpen are all up for grabs."  If you guessed Eric Wedge, or Dr. D, or Jeane Dixon, you're right.

Delabar got the call in the 6th, because Yoenis Cespedes was up.  He stomped in and said, Check Me Out.  It was a statement game for him.  Keeping his head quiet, coming right down the centerline, he ripped 94-95 fastballs high in the zone, and the A's swung as if the ball were 99.  Later, Tom Wilhelmsen would bring 96, but the A's had far more trouble seeing Delabar's heater.  Whether it's RPM on the spin, or extension in front of themound, or what it is, Delabar's heater was invisible.

And he threw 7 of 18 pitches offspeed, mixing them confidently.  The Thang moved like a real change this time, breaking armside, a Felix change at a hard 86-87 MPH with excellent late drop.  Of his 7 changeups, 6 were in the zone, 2 were swinging strikes, and all were effective.

.........

It wasn't just the scoreless outing.  It was the quiet mechanics, the bad intentions, the hop on the fastball, the pitch mix.  This was kinda like the Seahawks going into the Meadowlands and beating the Giants.  You weren't sure they were capable of performing on that level.

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=== Capt. Insano ===

... was not fooling anybody as the first several hitters smoked base hits and long fly balls.

The problem being?  Michael Pineda disease.  Wilhelmsen threw 17 strikes and 5 balls, and even those stats don't convey the reality out there.  Capt Insano is simply throwing every single pitch intending a strike, as Pineda did in March-April 2012.

The A's sat dead red, going for Wilhelmsen early in the count.  

  1. Jemile Weeks lined a 95 fastball hard for a base hit.  
  2. Coco Crisp lined a 95 fastball hard the other way; two on, nobody out.
  3. Josh Reddick got a 96 fastball out and over on the first pitch.  390 feet to center for an out.
  4. Wilhelmsen got a clue, started Seth Smith with a curve outside, and then came back with an 88 deadfish change:  garbage swing way out in front.  

The cheating was obvious now.  Wilhelmsen mixed his pitches much better to Smith, Cespedes and Suzuki, and they visibly stopped their little game of starting the bat early for guaranteed 95 MPH strikes.  By the time Wilhelmsen won his 6-pitch AB with Suzuki, he could throw 96 and catch Suzuki late.

It's great to be confident, but Capt. Insano has got to expand the zone a little bit.  When he's not tipping, as it were, he's a load.

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NEXT 

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