Two pitch sequences that annoyed me

[Frobby]

Watching the 6th inning was so annoying.  First, as I mentioned elsewhere, Judge’s single had plenty of hang time and Cowser just let it plop in front of him.  

Then Rizzo comes up.  Ben McDonald had mentioned on Friday that he likes to dive into pitches down and in, and you need to get into his kitchen.  On a 1-strike pitch, Irvin throws one in there, and Rizzo is completely helpless against it for strike 2, with a very weak swing.  It’s obvious he needs to double up in that spot.  So where’s the next pitch?  Low and away, right where he likes it, and Rizzo strokes it for a single.  

Later in the inning, Baker in, bases loaded, Kiner-Falefa up.  They throw several pitches up and away and it’s clear he has them timed up and is homed in on that spot, as he keeps spoiling them.  The obvious move is to jam him, but instead, after a couple more fouls, they try to sucker him on a 2-2 changeup below the zone that’s too low to be tempting, and with the count now full and Baker afraid of walking in a run, the throws a cripple pitch that’s blasted for a bases-clearing double.  Game over.  

Bottom line, O’s pitchers can’t live on the outside corner all the time.  They need to use both sides of the plate.  And they need to pay attention to what the batter is handling or not.  

 

[Jim'sKid26]

This specific area may be, and I emphasize may be, Adley's weakest area on defense. So if he is calling pitches this is on him. If Ben McDonald knows that information then Adley should know it. But we don't know who is calling pitches. 

I will be interested in how they pitch to Rizzo today. Have they learned anything these last two games? 

[Fan4Life]

5 minutes ago, Jim'sKid26 said:

This specific area may be, and I emphasize may be, Adley's weakest area on defense. So if he is calling pitches this is on him. If Ben McDonald knows that information then Adley should know it. But we don't know who is calling pitches. 

I will be interested in how they pitch to Rizzo today. Have they learned anything these last two games? 

You'd think that Dodger game would have been cemented into their mind. 

Edited July 30, 2023 by Fan4Life

[baltfan]

50 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Watching the 6th inning was so annoying.  First, as I mentioned elsewhere, Judge’s single had plenty of hang time and Cowser just let it plop in front of him.  

Then Rizzo comes up.  Ben McDonald had mentioned on Friday that he likes to dive into pitches down and in, and you need to get into his kitchen.  On a 1-strike pitch, Irvin throws one in there, and Rizzo is completely helpless against it for strike 2, with a very weak swing.  It’s obvious he needs to double up in that spot.  So where’s the next pitch?  Low and away, right where he likes it, and Rizzo strokes it for a single.  

Later in the inning, Baker in, bases loaded, Kiner-Falefa up.  They throw several pitches up and away and it’s clear he has them timed up and is homed in on that spot, as he keeps spoiling them.  The obvious move is to jam him, but instead, after a couple more fouls, they try to sucker him on a 2-2 changeup below the zone that’s too low to be tempting, and with the count now full and Baker afraid of walking in a run, the throws a cripple pitch that’s blasted for a bases-clearing double.  Game over.  

Bottom line, O’s pitchers can’t live on the outside corner all the time.  They need to use both sides of the plate.  And they need to pay attention to what the batter is handling or not.  

 

baker cannot throw inside unless accidentally with a backup slider. 

[Fiver6565]

I think in general our pitchers need to pitch inside more. Ben talks about it regularly. Grayson did A nice job hitting his spots on the inside half on Friday but a lot of the guys seem to shy away from it. 

[LA2]

5 minutes ago, Fiver6565 said:

I think in general our pitchers need to pitch inside more. Ben talks about it regularly. Grayson did A nice job hitting his spots on the inside half on Friday but a lot of the guys seem to shy away from it. 

Grayson's high & inside strike-called fastballs were fantastic

[rm5678]

16 minutes ago, LA2 said:

Grayson's high & inside strike-called fastballs were fantastic

Yes, and in that same game Gerrit Cole put on a clinic on how to pitch high & inside.

[Moose Milligan]

I was absolutely irate when Baker had IKF 0-2 and looked like he could escape the bases loaded jam and then proceeded to do what he does best…not put the batter away and throw crap outside. 

[eddie83]

I completely get the frustration. I wonder if the issue is some of these guys simply can’t command the ball inside. 

[Moshagge3]

I sort of get going away to Rizzo because you figure the worst he can do is poke it for a single, and that's better than not getting it far in enough and giving up a home run. But why is Baker scared to come in to IKF when the LF wall is a mile away and the guy has very limited power?  

[mall-O-cup]

3 hours ago, Frobby said:

Watching the 6th inning was so annoying.  First, as I mentioned elsewhere, Judge’s single had plenty of hang time and Cowser just let it plop in front of him.  

Then Rizzo comes up.  Ben McDonald had mentioned on Friday that he likes to dive into pitches down and in, and you need to get into his kitchen.  On a 1-strike pitch, Irvin throws one in there, and Rizzo is completely helpless against it for strike 2, with a very weak swing.  It’s obvious he needs to double up in that spot.  So where’s the next pitch?  Low and away, right where he likes it, and Rizzo strokes it for a single.  

Later in the inning, Baker in, bases loaded, Kiner-Falefa up.  They throw several pitches up and away and it’s clear he has them timed up and is homed in on that spot, as he keeps spoiling them.  The obvious move is to jam him, but instead, after a couple more fouls, they try to sucker him on a 2-2 changeup below the zone that’s too low to be tempting, and with the count now full and Baker afraid of walking in a run, the throws a cripple pitch that’s blasted for a bases-clearing double.  Game over.  

Bottom line, O’s pitchers can’t live on the outside corner all the time.  They need to use both sides of the plate.  And they need to pay attention to what the batter is handling or not.  

 

I was watching the Fox broadcast and either Smoltz or Kenny Albert mentioned that Cowser was playing quite deep when Judge's single dropped in.

Completely agree on the Rizzo at bat. I couldn't understand not coming back inside after he tied him up for strike 2. To be honest I'm getting a bit tired of seeing Cole Irvin.

During the entire Kiner-Falefa at bat not one pitch was thrown inside. That was a very frustrating sequence to watch.

 

[Malike]

38 minutes ago, Moshagge3 said:

I sort of get going away to Rizzo because you figure the worst he can do is poke it for a single, and that's better than not getting it far in enough and giving up a home run. But why is Baker scared to come in to IKF when the LF wall is a mile away and the guy has very limited power?  

If you try to go inside and miss to guys with very limited power, see: Higashioka, Kyle.

[Malike]

Just now, mall-O-cup said:

I was watching the Fox broadcast and either Smoltz or Kenny Albert mentioned that Cowser was playing quite deep when Judge's single dropped in.

Completely agree on the Rizzo at bat. I couldn't understand not coming back inside after he tied him up for strike 2. To be honest I'm getting a bit tired of seeing Cole Irvin.

During the entire Kiner-Falefa at bat not one pitch was thrown inside. That was a very frustrating sequence to watch.

 

He literally pulled up and watched the ball drop in front of him. If a speedy runner was watching that play he could have taken a double, it was fairly embarrassing to watch.

[Rbiggs2525]

I do not think Adley calls a bad game but he does make mistakes. The Kevin Pillar homerun off Coulombe will always resonate in my head. Sometimes I do wonder if McCann calls better games.

[survivedc]

1 hour ago, Malike said:

He literally pulled up and watched the ball drop in front of him. If a speedy runner was watching that play he could have taken a double, it was fairly embarrassing to watch.

You should go watch that hit again, it isn't anything close to what you're describing. It is in a video highlighting Judge's 3 hits on mlb.com.