Q.  How was the fastball?

A.  Against the Jays, it was fast and precise ... against the Royals, faster and a bit wilder.

This game, I felt his FB was a bit slower and a bit wilder -- nominally his worst FB of the year.  

By his own standards, we mean.  Brooks had him at 95.6 mph, and he threw 70% strikes.  But I felt he was a bit sloppier than in his first four starts.

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Q.  The slider?

A.  He detonated the LH Barton on it, second hitter of the game, a looking K.... and then it seemed to me that he didn't really choose it in the most do-or-die situations.  That could be just me.  

I didn't feel he really trusted it as much Friday ... there were quite a few long AB's in which he didn't use it to end the AB.  I'm going, c'mon, just pull the string on this guy and let's move on, and here would come another fastball in a different location.

I'm sure the cold night caused some of it.  Pineda grew up in the Dominican.  I'm sure that 45 degrees to him is like 28 degrees to you and me.

Probably just me noodlin'.  He threw 30% plus sliders, which is a Bedard ratio.  

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Objectively speaking:

• 29 sliders
• 21 strikes
• 5 swings and misses (17%)
• 3 hits off it, two seeing-eye grounders, and a liner to RF by Suzuki
• 9 outs off it (batters 3-for-12, .250/.250/.250 on AB's finishing on the slider)

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Q.  vs. LHB's?

A.  They were 2-for-13, one K and one BB.

Nine of the 14 PA's by lefties ended on offspeed pitches -- a groundball single, a popup, and seven groundouts.

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Q.  Meaning?

A.  That it's fine when they swing way out in front of a Pineda slider -- but even when they don't, they fail to square it up.  When they timed his slider right, they topped it, as with Bedard's hook.

Pineda's slider breaks directly down, straight down, with a late bite.  The change of speed aside, it's anything but a hanging curve ball, and it's not like LHB's are going to start teeing it into the stands.

By the way, I count 8-for-41 by LHB's on the season, a .195 AVG with a .255 OBP and a .292 SLG.  About what pitchers hit in the NL.

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Q.  All his strikeouts were early?

A.  Ya, partly because of Kelly's observation:  batters try to take him head-on the first time through, and then they just try to put the ball in play.

But his pitch counts were high, and he pitched to contact more.  

... Check out the 6th inning:  Pineda then up by four runs, two guys got on, and there was a loooonnnnnng visit to the mound.  Pineda threw all* fastballs the rest of the inning.  He's got a few things to learn about easing off the gas pedal...

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Q.  And the 0.0% homer rate?

A.  If the fences had been 325' all the way around, there wouldn'ta been any homers.

7 grounders, 4 fly balls, by the way.  They arm-swing at sliders in self-defense, that's when Pineda's G/F ratio evens out.  Swing under FB's, over offspeed.

One decent swing all night sent a ball at an outfielder, that to LF.  Tough to hit an homer when you're protecting the plate.

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