MATUSZ at AAA-Norfolk

[OFFNY]

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He looked VERY good tonight. There was no radar gun on the Gwinnett Braves broadcast, but his velocity definitely looked better. The AAA hitters helped him out by swinging at pitches in the dirt, but he looked much closer to "vintage" Matusz than he did two weeks ago. In his final inning of work, he was tiring, and again, he was helped out by the AAA hitters, this time swinging at an 84 MPH pitch that was waaaaaaaay high (there was no radar gun on the broadcast for the viewers, but the Gwinnett Braves announcers said that Matusz' pitch on a 3-2 pitch on that strikeout was 84 MPH)

MATUSZ AAA-NORFOLK

IP: 7.0

R: 0

H: 3

BB: 2

SO: 8

Pitches: 88 (53 Strikes, 35 Balls)

2011 AAA ERA: 2.74

[RVAbird]

.

He looked VERY good tonight. There was no radar gun on the Gwinnett Braves broadcast, but his velocity definitely looked better. The AAA hitters helped him out by swinging at pitches in the dirt, but he looked much closer to "vintage" Matusz than he did two weeks ago. In his final inning of work, he was tiring, and again, he was helped out by the AAA hitters, this time swinging at an 84 MPH pitch that was waaaaaaaay high (there was no radar gun on the broadcast for the viewers, but the Gwinnett Braves announcers said that Matusz' pitch on a 3-2 pitch on that strikeout was 84 MPH)

MATUSZ AAA-NORFOLK

IP: 7.0

R: 0

H: 3

BB: 2

SO: 8

Pitches: 88 (53 Strikes, 35 Balls)

2011 AAA ERA: 2.74

That pitch was a change-up that flew away from him, but he commanded that pitch really well for most of the night. Flashed that plus-plus change that made him a top prospect a couple of years ago.

[Can_of_corn]

That pitch was a change-up that flew away from him, but he commanded that pitch really well for most of the night. Flashed that plus-plus change that made him a top prospect a couple of years ago.

So he fixed the velocity separation issue he was having with it?

[OFFNY]

So, he fixed the velocity separation issue he was having with it ?

They didn't display the radar gun for us on the broadcast, but I thought that he was throwing his fastball in the low 90's most of the game. The Gwinnett Braves announcers would only occasionally share how fast a certain pitch was.

[RVAbird]

So he fixed the velocity separation issue he was having with it?

Really don't feel comfortable guessing velo based on a streamed broadcast I watched on my laptop, but that issue stemmed mainly from the poor fastball velocity. Regardless of how good the change is, he still needs to set it up somehow.

[jgdomino]

someone at the game said he was hitting about 91. So whatever he changed is working. Someone really really screwed him up.

[billybang]

AAA hitter vs MLB hitters the differences are miles apart

[SilentJames]

AAA hitter vs MLB hitters the differences are miles apart

Well duh. But this is they type of performance we need to start seeing.

[LA2]

AAA hitter vs MLB hitters the differences are miles apart

That he's regaining the velo. on his fastball is the take-away on this, not the BAA.

[OFFNY]

That he's regaining the velo. on his fastball is the take-away on this, not the BAA.

He also makes claims that Nick Markakis' better play is due to steroid use, so you can take his posts with a grain ......... or perhaps several grains of salt.

[allstar1579]

Honestly, I couldn't say without really looking at tape from late-2010 vs. this year. He has always had a small arm circle and short stride, so if the staff re-tooled things to shorten any more (I can't fathom that to be the case) it could have undesired consequences. I could see if he's not fully healthy that he might be a little tentative with his fastball, but diagnosing that would be tough from video.

It would explain some why only his FB has really suffered from a velo standpoint -- which was the issue I kept raising leading up to his demotion. That strikes me as odd, and I'd be curious to hear knowledgeable opinions on the subject. Why would the FB be the only pitch with a serious drop in velocity?

Yeah I asked the same question, I expected everything across the board would drop a few, especially the slider. Just a weird scenario. Heard 90 last night, sitting 88. Not too far off from when I saw him in Bowie. He would generally sit 89-90 and hit 93 when he wanted to ramp it up back then.

[jamalshw]

Here's hoping he's finding is groove and can be back in the big leagues by the beginning of August (along with Britton). A fixed Matusz and Britton could go a very long ways to improving our dysmal rotation. I am hoping the end of this season can show us solid performance from the 'core' and trades of everyone else. Moreorless, I just want to get back to where we all thought the team was at the end of 2010. (or even the beginning of 2011)

[csgordos]

someone at the game said he was hitting about 91. So whatever he changed is working. Someone really really screwed him up.

Instead of somebody screwing him up I would point to the injury and the short time spent in rehab assignments. They rushed him up pure and simple. So if that is what is meant by screwing him up then fine, but I don't think it was a change of mechanics or philosophy of how to pitch.

[Frobby]

If there is a silver lining out there, it is that all of our young pitchers have learned that nobody is just going to be handed a spot in the rotation. Bergesen, Tillman, Matusz and Britton have all been sent down at various times. Hopefully this spurs them to work their butts off this offseason to make sure it doesn't happen again. Of course, Bergy and Tillman were sent down last year, too, but at least Matusz and Britton, who are the most highly touted of our young pitchers, should be realizing that their top prospect status guarantees them nothing.

In Matusz's case in particular, I think maybe he needed this wake-up call. Reading some of his recent interviews, it sounds like he wasn't doing enough to maintain a proper diet and work on his conditioning, even though he spent some time at API the last two winters. Now he's working with Brady and I think that will serve him well in the long run. Even when he was on a roll last year, he sometimes struggled with his stamina.

I think he will come back from AAA a better pitcher, and having learned a few good lessons.

[Stotle]

Instead of somebody screwing him up I would point to the injury and the short time spent in rehab assignments. They rushed him up pure and simple. So if that is what is meant by screwing him up then fine, but I don't think it was a change of mechanics or philosophy of how to pitch.

I haven't seen evidence of any drastic change in mechanics (not syaing there wasn't -- I just haven't seen evidence of it). I'm inclined to agree with the above -- seems more likely that he has been holding back with his fastball due to discomfort or post-injury tentativeness. The fact that velo on his other pitches has not been drastically affected is a tip-off, for me.