Games » Toronto Blue Jays
Aug23Why Bruce Chen was so good
Lee Judge
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If you’ve been following this website all season, you know Bruce Chen is a much better pitcher when A.) an umpire has a big strike zone and doesn’t force Bruce to come into the middle of the plate, and B.) Bruce has command and can keep his stuff out of the middle of the plate.
Both happened last night.
There is a downside to a wide strike zone like home-plate umpire John Hirschbeck’s. If an umpire is going to call strikes on pitches well off the plate outside, he’s going to force hitters to dive to that outside corner to cover those pitches. Once a pitcher sees a hitter diving to cover away, the usual response is to come up and in. A diving hitter and purpose pitch up and in is a dangerous combination. It didn’t come up last night, but watch for this sequence in the future and you’re going to see some close calls.
OK, so if Hirschbeck had a generous zone, why couldn’t Toronto’s starter, Brandon Morrow, take advantage? Because Morrow didn’t have B.) command. He was missing spots and only got away with it for one inning. There was another factor that may have contributed to Morrow’s bad outing: Brandon didn’t throw a curveball until he faced Mike Moustakas in the second inning.
Pitchers sometimes like to save pitches for the second and third trip through the opponent’s batting order. Morrow threw nothing but fastballs and sliders until he faced his eighth batter, Mike Moustakas. By then he already had given up a home run, a double, two singles and three runs. Once he began mixing in a third and fourth pitch, he got out of the second inning without any more damage, and threw scoreless third and fourth innings. But by the fifth inning, Morrow’s pitch count was up, the Royals tacked on three more runs and he was done.
Saving pitches for later in the game is a great strategy — if you can afford it. But when you start getting whacked around early, you better use everything you’ve got to weather the storm you’re in right now.
Those two home runs
Last season, Mitch Maier told me that Toronto’s outfield warning track was just a line on the turf. Unless they’ve changed it, what Mitch meant was that the turf changes color, but there’s no difference in texture. (At least that’s what it looked like on TV.)
The end result is a warning track that looks nice but doesn’t work. The idea is that an outfielder is racing back, hits dirt and knows how many steps he has until he hits the wall (if he’s done his homework). Two Blue Jays outfielders did not appear to know exactly where the wall was on the Royals’ two home runs.
Center fielder Colby Rasmus went back on Eric Hosmer’s home run and jumped too soon. Left fielder Eric Thames went back on Billy Butler’s home run and jumped too late, hitting the wall on the way up and robbing himself of a chance to make the catch.
Keep watching for this to come into play this series. Outfielders might pull up short, not knowing where the wall is or have a collision for the same reason.
Moose’s mental mistake, probably
I’m reluctant to tack on a mental mistake unless I’m pretty sure of what happened, but I’m pretty sure of what happened. Mike Moustakas hit a ball down the left-field line (good for him, one of the cures for your shoulder flying open is going the other way, you stay closed longer to hit the ball), and Mike stood there and watched for a moment. I think he expected the ball to slice foul. Line drives down the line often hook or slice foul, but when you really square one up, they fly straight.
It was only a momentary hesitation, but when Moose tried to stretch the ball off the wall into a double, he was out by a step — the step he lost watching the ball. Afterward, in the dugout, he was talking to Chris Getz and Getz was making a motion with his hand that seemed to be describing the straight flight of the ball.
Sometimes a move pays off later
A move can fail. A base-stealer is thrown out, a bunt doesn’t work or a runner sent home is thrown out at the plate. But that move may pay off later. The hitter gets a fastball because the base-stealer is on first, or a double goes down the line because the third baseman was playing in for the bunt or, Colby Rasmus gets in a big hurry because a runner is headed home and Colby makes an error.
For just that reason, the Royals want to develop a reputation for running. The reputation pays off even when you aren’t running. I don’t know whether Jeff Francoeur would have made it home if Rasmus had fielded the ball cleanly, but it’s a good bet that Johnny Giavotella would not have ended up on second.
And that paid off in an extra run when Salvador Perez followed Johnny’s single with one of his own. And that paid off when closer Joakim Soria gave up a run in the ninth. That meant Jack still had a two-run lead to work with instead of a one-run lead. And the Jays got the tying run to the plate but never on base.
Soria’s control
As Jim Palmer once said of Earl Weaver, the only thing I know about good pitching is I couldn’t hit it. But here’s what I’ve noticed. When Joakim Soria starts an at-bat with something hard away on the very edge of the strike zone and gets the call, the hitter is in trouble. If Joakim misses that spot, the at-bat often becomes a struggle for him.
There are some nights you just don’t see the pinpoint control that has made Soria so tough. Tuesday was one of those nights. The Royals had a shift on for Toronto’s Adam Lind that had second baseman Chris Getz pulled way over in the hole and deep. (Getz might have been in the game because Giavotella almost threw away a routine ball earlier and Hosmer’s height at first based saved Johnny an error.)
Anyway, when you put a shift on, the idea is to get the ball hit into that shift. Soria missed badly, giving the left-hander Lind a pitch away that Lind could shoot through the hole where the shortstop usually would have been standing.
All’s well that ends well, but some endings make you nervous.
Chen
Hosmer
Perez
We have heard the rumors about the Blue Jays stealing signs. Is this considered cheating by the opposing players and coaches or do they tip their hat to a guy who can crack the code on all the other team's signs? I can see a guy picking up on one team's signs, but to do it to everybody, that's quite a talent.
It was fun watching Chen tonight, mainly because he got the ball and pitched. It's well known how the defense is better when the pitcher is pitching quickly. Is a quick pace something taught throughout the minors or do the coaches let the pitcher dictate how fast he pitches?
We have heard about possibly moving Holland and Crow into the rotation next season. I am all for that, because a good starter is the most valuable commodity in baseball. However, with Soria being as shaky as he has been, maybe one of them ought to stay in the pen. Is there a consensus as to which one would be better suited to the rotation?
Do you think the Royals would benefit from a 4 man rotation? Tell the starters to go out there and give us five solid innings, have the two ex starters ready to pich a couple, then Crow, Holland and Soria to close it out? If you can get your top starters pitching more games while keeping your two worst starters in the pen, aren't you better off?
I wonder if instant replay challenges will ever be implemented in MLB. Games are already too long, so it would have to be limited somehow, but I would think last night's game was a good example of one where giving the manager one challenge per game would have shaved a run off Chen's line. Hosmer was clearly on the bag when scooping Moose's low throw, but the umpire called the runner safe. Next batter hit a 3-run bomb.
I found it very interesting that virtually every hitter in the Royals lineup was "on" Morrow last night, but Gordon and Melky looked completely lost at the plate.
Lee, I'm out of town for a week and appreciate the site more than ever. I get stuff I can't get from the box score. Can't comment on the game since I couldn't see it, but appreciate being able to keep up on the nuances.
Gene:
1.) No, stealing signs is considered a punishable offense in baseball. If a pitcher thinks it's going on, he may drill the hitter in the ribs and tell him to thank his buddy (the sign-stealer) for that. Of course, stealing signs goes on all the time, the key is not getting caught.
2.) Good question. Everybody knows a quick pace helps the defense. I assume it's encouraged, but don't know if it's mandatory. I'll ask Bob McClure once they're back. Of course, if a guy pitches lousy with a quick pace, they'd probably let him do it his way.
3.) If there's a consensus about who should start or who should stay in the pen, I haven't heard it. Crow was always a starter until pro ball, but he's come up with physical problems and that may be a sign he's thrown too many innings already. I don't know that, but it's a possibility. Holland has been lights out, but he's mainly done it with two pitches: fastball and slider. Perfect for a reliever, but a starter needs at least three. Plus Greg isn't that big and I don't know what starting would do to him physically.
4.) I don't know enough about pitching to compare the benefits of a four-man vs. five-man rotation. But asking the starter to only give you five means you're into the pen early every night. That might work for a while, but you've got to think of the wear and tear you're putting on the bullpen. Burn them out and you're back to starters giving leads to the relievers and the pen giving the lead back.
There's just not enough good pitching to go around and you can see how hard it is to figure out how to use the good pitching you have.
Don: Everyone's worried about games being too long already and that's the rap on instant-replay challenges.
But players and coaches say if you want to speed the game up, call the strike zone as described in the rule book. Hitters now take pitches that the old-timers looked for, because they know a ball above the belt won't be called a strike. Call the entire zone, the game would speed up and maybe you could afford an instant-replay challenge.
The problem with calling the entire zone is it would hurt offense and it's clear MLB likes offense. Me, I like pitching duels. Short games, everything matters and the ability to manufacture a run is at a premium.
In my opinion, watching pitchers walk people and then waiting for someone to hit one out is boring.
As for Alex and Melky: it sucks to be that guy. Everybody is crushing the pitcher and you can't get the ball in play. It's usually because, for whatever reason (arm angle, movement, etc.) you're a bad matchup.
Where you stand in the box, your height, your stance, your approach means that this guy is tough on you because of HIS height, arm angle, etc., ever notice how great pitchers or hitters will name the guy that killed them and it's often a pretty average player?
That's why.
Joel: Thank you very much. When Tim Bogar was here, we discussed the future of the website over beer and wings, beer and ribs and beer and pizza. (Notice a pattern there?)
Tim, who had a lot to do with the direction the site took in the beginning, encouraged me to continue down the path I'm on.
Let everyone else record the big stuff. It's got to be done by someone, but not me. Bogie suggested I continue to think small. Find moments in the game that reveal something and explore them as fully as possible.
We agreed that anyone interested enough in baseball and the Royals to come to this site probably knows the basics: who won and the big moments, but might not know the small things that led up to those moments.
That's an area the site can cover and I'm glad readers like you are enjoying this 'inside' look at baseball.
I little clarification on the sign-stealing thing: It's a punishable offense within the confines of the game if the PLAYERS are stealing signs...i.e. a runner on second signaling to the hitter what he thinks the next pitch is going to be. But what the Jays are accused of doing is MUCh worse, and punishable outside of the game itself: Having a person sitting in the stands with binoculars or some other such equipment, who is relaying information in some way to the players on the field. Stealing signs from withing the game is one thing, but it's a HUGE no-no to be stealing signs from outside the game, and relaying them in.
Brian pretty much explained MY understanding of sign stealing. While players may not particularly like it, if the sign was stolen from someone on the field (runner on 2nd base) it's acceptable. If someone that's NOT part of the team on the field or in the dugout does it, well, that's a different story entirely. The rumors for the Bluejays is that they had a guy in the outfield stands relaying signs to the batters.
I haven't had time to watch recently, but look to see if the Royals are running through a series of signs even when the bases are empty. The Yankees allegedly have been when in Toronto, I'd be curious to see if the Royals are doing the same thing.
Regardless on whether it's actually happening or not, the reputation is there: The Jays ARE stealing signs when playing at home.
Chris & Brian: Yeah, it's worse when a team condones it. Players often have a deal set up with someone else in the lineup (go to your helmet if they set up inside kind of stuff), but if it's team wide, that's a different thing.
You can still drill a guy and say as long as you do this we're going to make you pay the price, but which guy do you drill and how many times you hit guys?
If it's happening team-wide, that's where the league needs to do something. And, yes, the Royals are using multiple signs with nobody on.
Lee, thank Bogie for all of us the next time you talk to him. If he helped steer you in the direction that has led to this site, than he deserves a thank you from all of us.
Chris: I will. Tim was one of the guys I called when I was offered the site. I asked if he thought I knew enough baseball to do a good job.
He said yes, but encouraged me to watch the game: like REALLY watch the game. Notice the smallest stuff possible and try to understand and explain what I was seeing.
Of course, when I compare notes with Tim afterwards, I realize how much I've missed. He spots pitch patterns and defensive positioning and a hundred other things that I'm only dimly aware of. On the other hand, that means I've got more to learn and share.
If someone is careless enough to get their signs stolen, it's there fault. It is easy to change just "lock" or an "indicator". Even if the other team knew every sign you had they shouldn't be able to steal them unless you are really careless.
Moose has watched a few balls this year. I remembering him thinking he had a home run, then he had to run like crazy to get a double.
Gary: Veteran players will tell you they can steal signs even with an indicator or a sequence if they see the signs often enough.
So a guy standing out at second seeing eight pitches to the batter might be able to figure out the code in that span of time.
Everybody knows it goes on, it's just a pain in the neck for everyone to have to do sequences for every pitch of the game and even those sequences can be decoded.
Jason Kendall and I talked about it and his solution is simple: if you think they're stealing signs drill the batter in the ribs and let the batter tell the guy who's stealing the signs to stop.
But if it's a guy in the stands and it's a team-wide thing, do you drill nine batters?
And some batters don't want the signs, even if they're available. I never did, guys got it wrong too often or you'd get jacked up that you were getting a fastball and swing at one up around your eyes. Same with location: the runner at second lets you know the catcher slid outside and the pitcher misses in and almost kills you.
Vinnie: Standing and watching is a bad habit. I got caught doing the same thing on a ball I was convinced was foul and turned a double into a single.
Same with home runs: guys will tell you they know they got it, but too many things can happen (wind, etc.) to leave it to chance. Just run and put it in cruise control once you see the ball land.
I'll give Moose a hard time about that one when they get back in town.
The Jays are one game over .500 at home, one over on the road. 80 homers at home, 67 on the road. If they are stealing signs, it doesn't look like it's helping them a whole lot. I think it's the old Gaylord Perry thing all over again. People are so determined to catch them that it takes some of their focus away.