Orioles Pitchers Throw too Many Fastballs

[joelala]

https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/07/19/new-york-yankees-fastball-rate

This article is extremely interesting and it makes a ton of sense.  And of course the O's are in the top 5 in the league in fastball %.

[baltfan]

Weaver always said the pitchers needed to throw more curves.  Palmer said that was because Weaver couldn't hit one, so the pitchers and Ray Miller ignored him.  Maybe he was just ahead of his time. 

[OFFNY]

9 hours ago, baltfan said:

 

Weaver always said the pitchers needed to throw more curveballs. Palmer said that was because Weaver couldn't hit one, so the pitchers and Ray Miller ignored him. Maybe he was just ahead of his time. 

 

o

 

When you have pitchers such as Palmer, Cuellar, McNally, Flanagan, McGregor, etc. that are already pitching well in the first place, then you ignore the advice that is being given to change what you are doing.

When you have a starting rotation that is historically bad, then you listen to the advice and try it, since you have nothing to lose by taking it.

 

o

[El Gordo]

The problem isn't the FB's  it's location location location.

[Going Underground]

Gausman throwing many types of fastballs.

 

Manager Buck Showalter said a fastball could be four different pitches, or six if you mix in a two-seam fastball at times. Caleb Joseph, who has caught Gausman's past two starts, said a range as wide as Gausman has can be like 10 different pitches.

 

All agree that Gausman has found his stride of late by focusing more on commanding his fastball rather than blowing it past people, and that has provided a blueprint for the final two months of the season, beginning Saturday at the Texas Rangers.

 

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-gausman-mainbar-20170728-story.html

[Aristotelian]

On 7/29/2017 at 5:19 PM, El Gordo said:

The problem isn't the FB's  it's location location location.

And situation. If you are throwing a FB because you are down 3-0 and you are desperate for a strike, it is different than throwing a FB on 0-2 after your first two sliders froze the guy and he has no idea what's coming. I suspect with our guys it is more often the former than the latter

[El Gordo]

Just now, Aristotelian said:

And situation. If you are throwing a FB because you are down 3-0 and you are desperate for a strike, it is different than throwing a FB on 0-2 after your first two sliders froze the guy and he has no idea what's coming. I suspect with our guys it is more often the former than the latter

If he's down 3-0 it's because he couldn't locate his FB in earlier counts

[Camden_yardbird]

On 7/29/2017 at 6:48 PM, Going Underground said:

Gausman throwing many types of fastballs.

 

Manager Buck Showalter said a fastball could be four different pitches, or six if you mix in a two-seam fastball at times. Caleb Joseph, who has caught Gausman's past two starts, said a range as wide as Gausman has can be like 10 different pitches.

 

All agree that Gausman has found his stride of late by focusing more on commanding his fastball rather than blowing it past people, and that has provided a blueprint for the final two months of the season, beginning Saturday at the Texas Rangers.

 

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-gausman-mainbar-20170728-story.html

He has been throwing his splitter a lot more in recent weeks, something the analysts at CBS have noted coincided with his turn around last year as well.  I don't know whether it's because he controls it better or it has more run but it's disappointing it took so long this year to figure it out.