Games » Detroit Tigers
Jul7Danny Duffy takes a step forward
Lee Judge
None
The worst thing Danny Duffy did last night was to walk Miguel Cabrera, which is kind of understandable. Cabrera is an absolute beast at the plate, and Duffy was trying to be careful with him to lead off the second inning. Two batters later, Ryan Raburn went deep, with a 1-2 fastball and Cabrera’s walk was the difference in the game, until Aaron Crow gave up a home run to lead off the 9th.
Still, Duffy threw well and continues to show improvement. Don’t get freaked that he’s being sent down to Triple A. As Ned Yost explained, they’re just getting Danny a start during the All-Star break. Otherwise, Duffy would have 12 days off and the Royals want him to keep working. He seems to get a little better every time out, so this plan makes sense. Duffy will be back with the Royals for another start on the 19th.
Fastballs in fastball counts
Here’s another thing you can pay attention to: when the pitcher gets into a fastball count (2-0, 2-1, 3-0, 3-1 and 3-2) does he throw a fastball? Check the radar gun and if the pitch is in the 90s you probably just saw a heater. Pitchers who throw fastballs in fastball counts will eventually get smoked (because the hitter knows what’s coming) unless it’s a really good fastball.
It looked like Duffy was adding and subtracting (taking a few miles an hour off or putting a few on) when he got backed into a corner with his fastball. That’s another way to get away with throwing a pitch the hitter expects. The best thing is to not get in these counts and, if you do, be able to throw something other than a heater.
Speaking of fastballs
That home run Aaron Crow gave up was on a first-pitch fastball. Hitters will ambush a pitcher if they think he’s going to try to get ahead with something straight on the first pitch. After that, Crow started every hitter with something other than a fastball.
Going the other way
Eric Hosmer went through a mini-slump and has made an adjustment (good sign): he’s going the other way. He hit a double down the left field line which led to the Royals only run. Before the game he told me that was the game plan: look away and adjust in. It helps him with his mechanics and his pitch selection.
Speaking of which, Hos said that was definitely part of the adjustment to big league pitchers. We all think of increased velocity and movement when we think of better pitching, but major league pitchers are much better at deception, also.
Hitters don’t go up there intending to swing at a pitch a foot outside or down around their ankles, but the best pitchers can make that stuff look hittable as it heads to the zone. Once you start your swing, you find out that pitch isn’t going to be where you thought it would be. And neither is your average.
And here’s another problem
Ned Yost pointed out that Mike Moustakas (and Hosmer) are seeing some very good pitchers for the first time. A rookie will have some tough at-bats while finding out what these guys can do, so everybody needs to be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are .300 hitters.
Some other stuff
Brayan Pena is making very sure to block the plate after the play that went bad in Texas. Catchers usually take half the plate: they put their left foot on the third base line, receive the ball in fair territory and then collapse back towards the runner to make the tag. Brayan has been coming out in front of the plate and straddling the line. That invites a collision, but Pena’s making sure he’s got the plate covered.
Outstanding defense all over the field last night; Brayan blocked the plate and stopped a run, Melky Cabrera made a great catch in center that saved a run and Alcides Escobar did the same thing. Eric Hosmer picked a low throw from Esky that saved a runner, if not a run. I don’t know how Hos gets to the park, but Esky or Moose ought to offer him a ride every day.
Jeff Francoeur turned a couple of infield dribblers into hits with hustle and it made me think: that’s one of the reasons I enjoy watching Frenchy play. The guy never dogs it. Oh, and he also did a nice job hitting the ball to the right side to move Hosmer over from second. That paid off when Mike Moustakas grounded out and Hos scored. (I said I’d explain why Francoeur can make me laugh by just standing in the outfield, so here it is: he can’t just stand in the outfield. Jeff is so antsy and high-energy, he walks around in circles between pitches. This does serve some purpose: he repositions himself with every change in the count. If the hitter is ahead, he’s more likely to pull. Behind, the hitter is going to wait and might go the other way. Frenchy is moving with the count and uses the patterns in the grass to orient himself.)
This happened a couple of times: when the pitcher holds the ball in the set position in order to freeze the runner, the hitter is the one that has to realize what the pitcher is doing and call time. Frenchy helped out a base runner a couple of times by doing this.
I asked Chris Getz how much difference there was between hitting leadoff and ninth. Chris said he tries to approach it in the same way, but admitted there might be a bit more pressure leading off. When you’re in the 9-hole you can figure anything you do on offense is a plus, after all, you’re at the bottom of the order. Batting leadoff means you’re getting one more trip to the plate and more is expected of you. Getzie said he had felt just a bit off (getting slightly under pitches) before the move to the leadoff spot and knows the spotlight is focused a bit more on his performance. Getzie would seem to be a perfect No. 2 guy (lots of bat-handling skills), but he’ll do whatever the team needs him to do.
Jason Kendall
You’ve probably already heard that Jason Kendall reinjured his shoulder. He once told me that if he reinjured it, he might be done. Jason is an incredibly competitive guy and, if it is the end of his career, he’s going to have some adjusting to do. After watching a few ball games with him, I can tell you, he’s got the mind to manage.
I’ve had several other friends hit the end of the road and how they felt at first wasn’t how they eventually ended up feeling. Guys told me they’d never coach and then ended up “putting on the watch” anyway. (Coaches wear watches, players don’t.) Ex-players often find the miss the game and their teammates so much, they’ll come back in whatever role they can find.
Jason is a really bright guy, old school as they come and has a lot to offer in any role. I don’t know if Jason Kendall needs baseball, but baseball needs Jason Kendall.
Royals catcher Matt Treanor shows how signs to the pitcher work
Kansas City Royals catcher Matt Treanor shows The Star's Lee Judge how signs to the pitcher are delivered during a game. June 27, 2011 (Video by John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star)
Duffy
Escobar
Hosmer
Duffy looked good, one bad pitch after a walk. Still too many long counts, but I think he'll be fine, looks like he is learning and starting to trust his abilities to pitch to big league hitters rather than trying to get cute and nibble.
I really, really hated the sacrifice bunt during the bottom of the eighth last night. It was a one run game at the time, and Pena singled. Escobar came up with a runner on first and none out, and executed the sacrifice nicely.
I don't like bunting much most of the time, though it should be said that this is as close to a good opportunity as we are going to get. My problem with the situation is that Pena isn't really in scoring position on second base with Getz at the plate and less than two outs. Pena is faster than the Molinas, but that is about it, and the outfield can play well in, and Pena would have to wait an extra beat to make sure the ball was on the ground or would drop or whatever.
If we are not going to pinch run for Pena, and if we are not going to pinch hit for Getz, then what the heck is the point of bunting him over when we still would need two positive things to happen, and now have one fewer out to work with.
I don't blame Yost for not pinch hitting there - none of us is really thrilled about Betemit playing in the middle infield. I would have pinch run there and let Treanor catch the ninth.
Anyway, just hated the decision last night.
Lee, I agree this was another positive step for Duffy. He looks like he is beginning to put it together and may be a solid 2 or 3 in the rotation for a long time. My question about him is that he does not appear to me to ever throw a hard slider. Looks to me like he has a lively fastball, hard curveball, and a straight change. Haven't really noticed a slow curve or a hard slider, but maybe I have just missed it - or maybe the hard curve is his slider? He kind of reminds me of a left-handed Zack on the mound with the difference being Zack's hard slider that he would throw with two strikes after establishing the fastball. That pitch to left-handed hitters would start on the inside corner (looking like the heater) and then dart down to the feet of the batter. If Duffy could develop something like that, it might make his fastball even better.
Don: According to MLB.com Duffy threw one slider last night in the first inning at 82 MPH. Odd that he would throw one and then abandon the pitch, but maybe he doesn't really have a slider (some two-seamers come close) or he didn't like what he had in warm ups or Pena just went away from it and never got back to it.
If Duffy's in the clubhouse today, I'll ask.
Jim: Yeah, I saw the same thing. Scherzer stuck around much longer because of his low pitch count. Duffy had a lot of pitches fouled off that ran his numbers up, but here was an awful lot to like in his performance.
Curtis: I hated the bunting decision a lot less than you did. Pena is faster than you'd think (mainly because you wouldn't think he's fast) and Getz has the highest batting average with runners in scoring position of any starter.
But...
Getz isn't swinging it very well right now, getting under the ball instead of driving it. But I don't know matchup numbers which may have driven the decision to have Esky bunt and Chris swing away.
I really think the next three games will play a BIG factor on what Dayton is going to do with some of our tradeable commodities. If we are 0-4 or 1-3, I see wholesale changes before July 31. I could see Giovatella, Cain, and potentially Robinson getting called up! I could see Melky, Frenchy, and potentially Aviles and Betemit traded. Not sure anybody would want any of our veteran pitchers, other than Soria. He probably would/could be on the block, though that doesn't make sense with his friendly contract. IT WILL BE AN INTERESTING NEXT TWO WEEKS!
Lee, I heard Ryan last night say the same thing about Getz when he came up to bat...highest batting average with runners in scoring position...how many RBI's does Getz have...different players can have same batting average and yet be worlds apart...Mark Teixeira batting 400 with runners in scoring position is much different than Getz...like Curtis said if Getz bloops a hit somewhere Pena will have a tough time scoring.
Lee, if you were manager who would be your top five starters...Duffy can get work here in KC if that was our primary purpose...would you keep running Davies out to pitch if you were manager?
Andy: I would absolutely agree that you can't put two numbers side by side and think they mean the same thing. Getz hits for a higher average with runners in scoring position than Billy Butler, but that doesn't take into account how they might pitch Butler vs. Getz. (Cautious with Butler, agressive with Getz).
And they might want Billy to expand his zone with a runner in scoring position and Chris to remain selective.
My point was that Pena runs OK and Getz hits OK in that situation so it wasn't a crazy move. And any runner would have a hard time scoring if any hitter dropped a bloop in with one out. If Chris had kept the ball on the ground (as he does when he's at his best) and it got through, I think Pena could've scored.
Lee, Yes Duffy is making progress and I think it was a wise decision to send him down for another start during the break but he still needs to throw more first pitch strikes and get the ball down in the zone more. I noticed he was missing his spots (sometimes badly) quite a bit last night. You can see he has great potential. It is just difficult to be patient with him when the Royals need quality starting pitching so bad. Every time I start to get frustrated, I try to remember why I didn't make my living as a baseball player-This game is hard!! I was a junk ball lefty who never threw above 85 mph and only played as long as I did because I was a lefty who could hit (w/o power) and had a little bit of speed
We really need pitchers with some potential. With Cain wasting away this season, I wonder what we can get for Melky. Melky has been my favorite Royal this year. I had my doubts, but he's playing well. And I would have to think he'd help a number of teams.
Question: Is Dyson on the active roster? If so, Yost should have run him in the ninth for Francouer. I know, Jeff's not slow, but Dyson's almost a sure bet to take second, and then if Moose gets a base hit, he's much more likely to score. Of course, if Dyson't back in the minors, it's all moot. I've been so busy with my kids' sports that I haven't had time to keep a very close eye on the roster moves. Keep up the great work.
Dyson is at Omaha. Had 2 hits and 2 stolen bases last night.
With that said, at some point, with those arcane rules on players being optioned. How many times can a player be optioned before a team loses rights to them??? Also- what is the rule on why some people think it was a big deal to bring Hos up before June? I think it deals with getting to Free Agency earlier????
I love this blog! Great job Lee!
Another thought- with us having a hole at Catcher both somewhat now- I know Pena and Treanor have been acceptable, but the system really has not done a good job of developing a catcher since MacFarlane, how about a trade with the Tigers. They ARE contenders now, but need some punch in the outfield and a strong IF utility player, and we need a strong catcher. How about a Melky or Frenchy along with either Betemit or Aviles for the Tigers catcher Avila. He is 24, great arm, 47 RBIs and going to be a real stud! It helps both teams- the Tigers now and the Royals now and down the road.
I know intra-divisional trades are frowned upon, but just a thought!
Regarding Dyson and options... I believe only one option is used per year if a player is sent down to AAA - no matter how many times it happens during the season. Players generally have 3-4 options (depending on their age when they signed and how many years they've played in the Majors).
Sorry, guys, had to check out for awhile and get some sleep. Up until 1:30 last night and then up again at 6:30 to go to work.
And it sounds like you guys know more than I do about this GM-type stuff. As I've said before, I know next-to-nothing about who's coming or going. I try to concentrate on how they play when they're here and that's about it.
Jeff, a wonderful thought, but.... The problem with us making trades in the virtual world is that we have no idea whether or not the other team would be interested. Why would the tigers give up their catcher on terms that would be favorable to the Royals?
@ Jeff. Dayton would fall out of his office trying to close that deal...he'd probably offer all four of those players for Avila and a middling prospect or two. But Avila is playing at an all-star level (arguably the best backstop in baseball this year) with a bright future and the return math doesn't add up for the long term or short term as they don't see Martinez as having the durability to catch regularly.