Games » Chicago White Sox
May13Don't rush to judgment
Lee Judge
The Kansas City Star
Since the Royals finished that 12-game losing streak, they have either split or won six series in a row. (I’m taking Steve Physioc’s word on that, but he hasn’t lied to me yet.) Fans — at least temporarily — seem to have calmed down. I’m not hearing nearly as many demands for general manager Dayton Moore’s head or manager Ned Yost to be burned at the stake.
After Luke Hochevar’s horrible start May 6 against the New York Yankees, this website had 56 comments, many of which called for Hochevar to be released. After Saturday night’s start in which Luke threw seven shutout innings, the comments dwindled to nine — and nobody called for Luke to be disemboweled.
A buddy of mine covered the NFL for years and then spent a season covering the Baltimore Orioles. He said he had to tone down his judgments. A bad game from a football player might ruin a season; baseball was on a different timetable.
When Boston bench coach Tim Bogar was in Kansas City last week, he told me that the Red Sox had a 30-day rule in the minor leagues. When you get a player, leave him alone for 30 days. Let him play and don’t reach any conclusions for 30 days. Apparently, this is a common approach among teams. Don’t rush to judgment.
I don’t know if the Royals will compete for the playoffs or even get back to .500 before the season ends, but they are playing better. There is a saying in baseball: “You’re never as good as you think you are, but you’re never as bad as you think you are, either.”
The Royals will have more hot streaks. They also will have more cold streaks. Refusing to ride an emotional roller-coaster is part of being a good ballplayer. I would advise the same attitude for fans.
Game notes
• In the fifth inning, the Royals put a shift on and Chicago’s Adam Dunn singled to the opposite field. So did the shift work? A lot of people would say yes. If you get a power hitter to take a single that doesn’t hurt you, maybe the shift has done its job. I need to ask Ned Yost that question when the Royals get home.
• After Jeff Francoeur’s home run in the eighth inning, White Sox pitcher Nate Jones came inside on the next batter, Eric Hosmer, dumping him on the ground. Home-plate umpire Joe West immediately gave a warning to both teams, but at that point, the Royals hadn’t done anything wrong. Baseball players think they should get to retaliate (throw at someone on the other side) and then have the umpire issue warnings.
• There weren’t a lot of stolen-base attempts in this series. On Sunday, the Royals’ Jarrod Dyson took off and was called out (replays showed he wasn’t), but it’s worth noting that the White Sox pitchers had dropped their delivery times to home plate. A bunch of guys who took 1.5 seconds to get the ball to the plate cut their times to 1.3 seconds. The game is speeding up.
• Starter Danny Duffy’s elbow twinged, and the Royals pulled him from the game. Reliever Luis Mendoza came in on short notice and gave the team 5 and two-thirds innings while giving up one run. You could see the end coming in the seventh. The Royals were up 2-1, and Mendoza started the inning with two line drives (one was an out) and the top of the order was about to see Luis for the third time. I figured Ned would pull Mendoza when the lineup turned over, and he did.
• When Johnny Giavotella was at the plate in ninth inning with first base open, it looked as though the White Sox didn’t care if they walked him. After Alcides Escobar walked and Humberto Quintero doubled, the Sox walked Jarrod Dyson to load the bases. That set up a double play and gave Chicago a force play at any base. A passed ball unloaded the bases and meant that the pitcher, Addison Reed, could start working out of the strike zone to Gio. He did, and Gio chased a pitch and struck out.
• But Giavotella’s pinch-hit in the eighth inning was huge. With two strikes, Johnny cut down his swing and drove in two runs to put the Royals ahead.
• You probably were yelling at your TV when Royals third baseman Irving Falu missed a pop-up off Paul Konerko’s bat in the eighth. That ball has to be caught, especially at the major-league level. But those pop-ups curve as they come down. It’s called “infield drift,” and if you’re not between the ball and the pitching mound as a pop-up falls, you’re in the wrong place.
Hochevar revisited
Let’s go back — briefly — to Luke Hochevar’s outstanding start Saturday night. The Royals apparently want Luke to pitch inside more often and he did.
A sequence to Paul Konerko shows how it works. In the seventh inning of Saturday night’s game, Hochevar came up and in on Konerko with a 92 mph fastball. He straightened him up. A hitter who has had a good heater thrown under his chin often has a hard time convincing himself to lean out over the plate again. Luke followed up the purpose pitch with a curve ball for a strike, then he threw a 1-1 fastball that Konerko fouled back. Luke finally got Konerko out on a sinker that Konerko pulled to third base.
Preventing a hitter from diving into those subsequent pitches is the reason you go up and in. The first pitch makes the hitter less effective on the pitches that follow.
Jeff Francoeur’s best play ever
Frenchy made another great catch in Sunday’s game, diving for a ball in the gap, then jumping up and throwing to first base in an attempt to double off the runner. It was a very good play, but it was not his best.
Apparently we missed the best play Jeff Francoeur ever made because it happened in a high school tournament. I heard this story third-hand. It sounded like some kind of urban legend, so I went to Jeff and asked him whether it was true. Frenchy said yes, so here it is:
Jeff was in the outfield and a runner was on second base when the batter hit the ball over the fence — temporarily. Frenchy took off for the ball, hit the chain-link fence in stride and — using one foot braced against the fence to get some height — reached over and made the catch, saving a home run.
So far, so good. We’ve all seen him do that, nothing that stretches the imagination so far. But then (and here comes the urban-legend part) Frenchy whirled and threw out the runner at second base — without touching the ground. The runner made the mistake of assuming the ball was a home run. He left the base early, so Jeff used the foot braced against the fence to push off and make the throw. The ball was out of Jeff’s hand before he ever hit the warning track.
Frenchy said I should ask longtime Royals scout Art Stewart about the play because Art was there. I recently tracked Art down in the media dining room and asked to hear the story. Art smiled and said that yes, he and a bunch of other scouts were there that day. “Not only did Francoeur throw out the runner, he threw a rope.” To grade a player’s skills, many scouts use a grading system of 20 to 80 with 50 being the major-league average.
I wonder how many scouts wrote down an 82 that day.
Lee Judge talks expectations with Boston's Tim Bogar
Boston Red Sox bench coach Tim Bogar talks about expectations of baseball teams and players with the Star's Lee Judge. May 11, 2012 (Video by John Sleezer)
Escobar
Francoeur
Mendoza
Jim Fetterolf
1 year agoWe need some variation of the Quality Start for what Luis Mendoza did today. 5.2/1 in long relief for an injured starter needs some sort of bonus points. With Luis and Danny together that gives the team 3 QS of the last 4 starts. All were wins.
Jeff Frost
1 year agoLee- as always, great insight. Baseball is a game of streaks. The old adage is that typically any team is going to win 54 games, lose 54 games, and it is the other 54 games that are going to make or break your season. That is where luck, breaks, managerial moves, trades, chemistry, etc… will determine your season. Just think if last year Soria was on his game- we have a 20 game turn around. (10 more wins and 10 less losses look pretty good) With that said, I don’t think anybody should give up on this team. They remind me a LOT of 1984. Young staff, feeling its way around, great chemistry. We know Hos, Gordon, and Frenchy are going to start hitting. Quintero has been great and Perez will be back in a month. I think by August we will have settled into a rotation, our starting lineup (I don’t see Dyson going!) and position players doing what they need to do. Ultimately, The Glass family has been beat up, Dayton has been beat up, and Yost has been beat up. With that said, we are still in a very good position for the next several years, no matter what happens with the 54 “if” games!
BTW- for the record. On July 10 the 1984 Royals were 42-52 and 10 games out. Anyone remember what happened over the next year and a half??? Won the division in 1984 (Yes it was weak, much like this year’s Central) and won it all in 1985!
Go Royals, and as always, great job Lee!
Lee Judge
1 year agoJim: I’m with you. The “quality start” stat has it’s critics and I get what they don’t like about it, but for me it’s helpful in understanding how often the pitcher gave his team a chance.
The category Ron Polk came up with—”giving up more than 4 earned runs” does the opposite: tells me how often a pitcher got blown out and buried his team.
And you’re right—Mendoza was outstanding. That’s the guy they saw in September last year and in Surprise this spring. Nice if he could keep it up.
Lee Judge
1 year agoJeff: Thank you, glad you’re enjoying the site. Slowing down and taking time to form opinions seems like a necessity if you’re going to cover baseball.
People shouldn’t be too quick to write this team off or decide they’re going to the playoffs. They still have plenty of problems with the starting pitching.
But since the losing streak ended, I think we’re starting to see the team most people expected: a team that can play .500 ball or slightly above.
But injuries can—and already have—changed that. One game at a time and play the clubhouse music loud when you win.
(It’s more fun to talk to players while listening to Bob Marley and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.)
zack_delmont
1 year agoDyson is my face new player. That what speed do. His approach at the plate has been solid.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year agoZack, two things have impressed me about the Dyce Man, getting more walks and working long at bats. Royals have been facing some strong pitching but have, a couple of times, managed to get them over a hundred pitches in five or six innings, then get a chance at the bullpens. Chris Getz has spoken on the long-at-bat as an important job for a lead-off man and Mr. Dyson has taken that to heart. ‘Zo Cain may have a fight to get the CF job back when he’s healthy.
Aaron Bailey
1 year agoI wondered if Yost would be secretly happy Joe West warned both benches. With the score still tight (at that point) the warning prevented the Sox getting a free base runner (if the Royals pitchers retaliated) and a possible bench clearing that could’ve given the Sox some momentum. I also liked Yost’s impression of Tony LaRussa playing the match ups with his relievers; it worked perfectly.
That Jeff Francoeur story is amazing, thanks for sharing it.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year agoMade a visit to Brooks Baseball to see what Mendoza actually was doing and found that his FB was consistently in the 91 to 93 range. Out of 58 pitches only 5 were above the ‘zone and he got a called strike on one and a foul on another. He had a total of 7 fouls off balls outside the ‘zone, a sign that he had movement:
http://www.brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/pfx.php?month=05&day=13&year=2012&game=gid20120513kcamlbchamlb1/&prevGame=gid20120513kcamlbchamlb1/&prevDate=0513&pitchSel=434669.xml
And yes, I did sponsor his page:)
Lee Judge
1 year agoJim and Zack: With extended play, Dyson seems to be settling in. I’ve begun to wonder what will happen when Cain comes back.
Aaron: You could be right, I don’t know if Royals pitchers would feel they have to retaliate right away in a close game, or save it until later when it wouldn’t affect the outcome.
And Ned did do a nice job of negotiating throught the order at the end of the game. Talking with Bogar made me aware of the dangers of trying to squeak by without using up your pen.
I also enjoyed the Francoeur story: bet some scouts went back to the home office saying, “You’re not going to believe this kid.” Frenchy might be one of the few people in baseball who would even try that play.
Tom Roesler
1 year agoLike Bill Snyder always says: Keep sawing wood. Let the impatient people yell all they want. I’m more interested in the long term view. These guys just keep coming out, working, grinding, playing hard and improving. That’s how solid foundations are built in this game (and in life). So let the drama kings keep whining…I’m gonna enjoy the ride as the Royals keep building. Go get em guys!
Gaines Arnold
1 year agoJust wanted to comment on the Falu missed foul pop. It looked like Quintero kept backing up so Falu was unsure if he was supposed to take the ball or not. When he realized Q couldn’t get to it, he made a stab and missed. I was actually thinking that the error should have been on Quintero.
Larry Tindle
1 year agoGood article Lee. Not much to say except I sure hope Danny is ok. Maybe we just need to surprise Mendoza when he is going to start and he won’t have time to think too much.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year agoTom, very well said.
Joel Kallem
1 year agoJeff, fully agree with you about streaks. The adage I know differs slightly from yours - its every team will win 60 and lose 60. Seldom do teams go over 100 losses or wins, but I wouldn’t quibble with your numbers. The idea is the same. As Lee points out, baseball runs on a different clock from other sports because of the length of the season. One game does not mean that much in the grand scheme where the leading team is going to lose more than1 out of 3 games over the course of the season. You won’t see that in football or basketball, so it takes a different mentality when looking at the success rate for your team.
Jim Wilson
1 year agoLee, I think the shifts are one of those things that needs be looked at over a larger sample size (and not just Royals games) to see if it’s giving you an advantage. The fact that it “works” one time or doesn’t “work” another should not be definitive. If Dunn is able to beat the shift with singles at a high enough rate, it’s not worth it. If he gets an occasional single but it limits his power, then it’s a good move. I don’t think you can know the answer based on one at-bat.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year agoRoyals have used the shifts a lot, and Lee has commented on them, and I read a piece on the sacred fangraphs site suggesting that part of Eric Hosmer’s BABIP challenges result from shifts used on him.
Darral VanGoethem
1 year agoEnjoying the winning. However, the Duffy injury will REALLY hurt if it is serious. Also, on the subject of Hochevar. It was Yost himself who came to the conclusion at last years All-Star game that Hoch needed to go inside. Then he set out to convince Hoch. The results were a very encouraging 2nd half to this season. What the heck happened this season?? Is it the switch to a new catcher for him with Perez going down halfway thru Spring Training and not communicating this to his catchers?? Is it Eiland not thinking it was that important?? Was it Yost dropping the ball and not following up with Hoch & Eiland to make it a priority again this season?? Is it Hochevar going off the game plan?? Or is it just Hochevar not executing his pitches?? All of them are possible reasons and all of them are concerning if they be consistent with their message. Loving the winning though. Won’t continue if they can’t get more consistent pitching though.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year agoDarrel, I still think Luke’s bad streak had at least something to do with getting drilled in the ankle, then trying to pitch through the injury, which threw his mechanics off. Last start he had full stride and drove through the pitches, which brought them down and gave his breaking stuff some bite.
As for last year, as I recall, Luke was hurt in ‘10 and pitchers sometimes take awhile to get 100%, even a year later. I think we are seeing the same thing with Jon Sanchez this year. I expect Luke to settle in as a solid #2 starter this year, even after his bad streak.
Matthew LaMar
1 year agoFor the record, I still think Moore and Yost should be fired. Not everyone who criticizes them does so only in an emotional frame of mind after the loss.
Nice game though.
Jason Everett
1 year agoI could be crazy, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been told so, but on any pop fly in the infield, isn’t it the responsibility of the corners to field the ball over the catcher 90% of the time?
That is, any time the ball comes out “in front” of the plate (moving away from the catcher) that it’s easier for, in this case, the third baseman to make the play because it’s easier for them to read the ball?
Darral VanGoethem
1 year agoJim,
I would agree with you about Hoch and it possibly being his ankly except for the fact that his MO for the last 3-4 seasons now is to just get rocked in one inning. I think at this point it is something wrong with his mindset. Whether he doesn’t stick to the gameplan, gets frustrated and loses his concentration or gives up a few hits and tries something else, it boils down to a lack of focus and trust, either in himself or his coaching staff.
Donald Wilson
1 year agoGood game but I question using Broxton in the 9th. I thought he might cut him off after maybe 10 pitches. What happens if we need him both nights in Texas? I guess we go to Holland although you can’t do that if he is in the 8th both nights. Oh forgot - there’s Crow so I guess we are okay.
Darral VanGoethem
1 year agoDonald,
It is a good point about Broxton but closers are supposed to be able to to go consecutive nights in a row. So I wouldn’t worry too much about him being available in the Texas series. I would guess that Yost’s thinking in getting Broxton into the game in a non-save situation is to just get him some work since he wasn’t needed the 1st two games of the series b/c of the score in each of those games made it not necessary to get him in there. He hadn’t pitched since last Wednesday and if he hadn’t pitched yesterday and doesn’t pitch until, say, Game 2 or 3 against Texas then it would mean he would have gone a week without pitching at all. That is not good for mental edge or for his arm.
Steve Yeakel
1 year agoDyson speculation thought - let Mitch go when Zo comes back, you have 4 starting quality outfielders, 2 of whom can play any of the 3 spots, and use them all a lot, for pitching match ups, helpful regular rest, hot hand moves, etc. On Hoch and Gordon and Hosmer, I take shots at them for refusing to do the obvious things they should do to get better, but now I think I should take pause in throwing those stones, as my own golf game stubbornly refuses to improve though I know I just need to relax more and put a smooth swing on the ball instead of trying to kill it. Knowing it and doing it can be two very different, and difficult things.
Steve Yeakel
1 year agoLee - if you get a chance, please go take a look at Craig Brown’s Friday and Monday posts on royalsauthority.com. You have the “in” with the Royals. Please have them take a look or share the info, that the key to turning the corner for Luke is not only to pitch inside, but to go back to (and stay with) the new release point for his slider that keyed his success the second half of last year but that he has abandoned so far this year. Thanks for all your great work.
Brian Grant
1 year agoSorry i didn’t get a chance to post about Hochevar. His last start means nothing. Actually, I take that back, his last start is just another illustration of how frustrating he is, because you know he has the talent. Unfortunately his one good game probably means he gets the opportunity to cost us several more games when his “inconsistency” pops back up.
Lee Judge
1 year agoEverybody: Yes, the corners are supposed to take the ball from the catcher whenever possible. The catcher keeps going for the ball until he’s called off. Falu had a long way to go and Quintero never cleared the area, so I don’t know if Falu called for the ball and Quintero didn’t move or Falu never made the call.
Thought that play might come back to bite the Royals, but they recovered.
Jim, I’d agree that you can’t decide whether the shifts work based on one play. What I was wondering with that bit was whether Ned thought the shift worked because he got Dunn to go the other way for a single in a spot a single didn’t hurt too badly.
Ned clearly didn’t think the shift worked the night he used it on Prince Fielder and Prince drove in the winning run with a single. I’m guessing the desired results of a shift depends on whether you’re trying to prevent a home run or a base hit of any sort.
I think Broxton worked because he needed it.
Larry, maybe you’re right: don’t let Mendoza know when he’s starting. Apparently, they had Greg Holland start a game in the minors—even though he was only throwing one inning—and he didn’t know when starters showed up.
Greg got to the park so early, nobody else was there. Starters actually get to show up later than everybody else. It’s their day, approach it the way that makes sense to them. They do show up in time to go over the game plan with the catchers and pitching coach, though.
And, yes, Luke getting off the game plan—which is how both Yost and Eiland have described it—is frustrating. And I know Eiland emphasizes going inside.
I don’t get pitchers’ thinking sometimes. I once had a guy who would start everybody 0-2, begin nibbling, go 3-2 and let the hitter get away from him. Eventually, I told him I wanted every at-bat finished in three pitches: hit, strikeout, home run…I didn’t care, just get after the hitters.
His next start he gave up two hits over seven innings, then told me how much he hated pitching that way. He found his way to another team and went right back to his former approach with the same results.
Go figure.
OK, back to my day job.
Fred Bracken
1 year agoHoch’s problem is not his ankle, it’s what lies between his ears. His good game/bad game pattern has been going on for years. This could stop the minute someone tells him to fish or cut bait. It’s way too late for him to “show flashes” or dream that “he’s turned the corner”. Bull pucky. He’s a true head case. Threaten his job, see if he cures himself.
Jim Brown
1 year agoI wasn’t and am not ready to disembowel Luke. But I was ready to send him to Omaha until I found out he was out of options. It remains a mystery as to why he is such a Jekyll and Hyde on the mound. What is not a mystery is that he has shown no ability to work himself out of jams. I think what Ned has got to recognize is that at the first sign of trouble he has to get the bullpen ready. This will mean an increased need for long relief and a burden on everyone in the pen. But if we are playing to win, we cannot afford the luxury of Hoch digging us into an inescapable hole every second or third start. This is not a case of a slump or a couple of bad starts. Luke’s only consistency has been how inconsistent he is. if we keep him, and I see no viable alternative out there to him, Ned is going to have develop a much quicker hook.
Aaron Bailey
1 year agoLee, I once read how Bob Gibson would get mad at his coaches who wanted him to waste 0-2 pitches to get a hitter to chase. Gibson believed no one could hit him and wanted to go right after them. Since then, I’ve always looked a pitchers who waste 0-2 pitches as pitchers who don’t fully trust their stuff. Plus it’s a quick way to inflate a pitch count (see Duffy).
Jim Fetterolf
1 year ago“Hoch’s problem is not his ankle, it’s what lies between his ears.”
A bit harsh, but a fairly common meme kicking around now. If he’s a head case, then his problems aren’t fixable, if it was the ankle and mechanics we can expect some more good games, get back to second half last year which had extended to his first three starts this year. That’s the bet I would place. Luke’s charts and the video I saw of him from Saturday is what I base my opinion on.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year agoTook a brief trip over to fangraphs and Luke, in spite of calls to DFA or institutionalize him, is still on the second page of pitching leaders, along with Master Chen, while the fWAR of both Danny and Felipe would have them on the third if they had enough innings. Two #2s, two #3s, so now it’s up to the 5th starter to decide whether we have a decidedly average staff, or better or worse.
Jim Kissane
1 year agoLee and Aaron, I’ve never been a fan of “wasting” a pitch. It’s a bad habit, because at 0-2 a pitcher has the batter on edge. You don’t want to let him off the hook by throwing a ball - besides, if you pitch that way often enough, batters know they can take your 0-2 pitch with impunity, and you start losing your advantage. It also drives up pitch counts, and old-timers will tell you there’s only so many pitches in your arm. Instead, it’s time to close out the at-bat by making the batter hit “your” pitch, or face the consequences of a called third strike. The 0-2 pitch should good enough to get an out, no more but certainly no less.
Brian Robinson
1 year agoGreat information Jim. Although I don’t think he should be our top of the rotation starter I am still on-board with Luke Hochevar. He’s been dogged with bad luck and injuries but started coming around in the second half last year. Now that he’s shaken off the ankle issue let’s see what he does going forward.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year agoBrian, agree.
Jim K, agree. Danny Duffy seems to get batters 0-2 all the time, yet throws 100 pitches in four or five innings. He himself has confessed to getting “too cute” in those counts. When he gets batters in that count and goes after them and punches them out or breaks a bat is when he’ll become an ace.
KC Guy
1 year agoThe idea of “wasting” an 0-2 pitch is to show a hitter in a defensive position a pitch that looks to be at least a borderline strike, but put it around the fringes of the strike zone at best. At best, you’ll make them hit a pitch they can’t possibly drive, or get an easy swing and miss.
Where a lot of guys fail is that they miss way too far away, then it really was just a wasted pitch. Of course, you really can purposely throw a ball outside/down/inside/up to set up the next pitch. The key is, you then have to execute the next pitch. Duffy gets in trouble because when he tries to set a guy up, he also misses the next pitch when he tries to put them away. At that point, he’s now thrown multiple extra pitches, and doing that repeatedly means a LOT of additional work.
Having a hitter believing you’re going to work around the fringes on 0-2 also means you can sometimes catch them looking with an unexpected pitch right over the plate..
Jim Fetterolf
1 year agoGood points, KC, but I’m old enough to remember Bob Gibson:) With Danny’s stuff, he should be able to force a swing by throwing a strike in that situation. His current approach isn’t working, as shown by his 5 inning per start average. To become a true #1 or ace, he needs to get over 7 innings average and nibbling won’t get him there, just like it hasn’t with Jon Sanchez and even Felipe Paulino, both high pitch-count starters with electric stuff that can’t go deep in games, too often missing the ‘zone as well as bats.
KC Guy
1 year agoYeah — I think the reason most pitchers don’t like “pitching to contact” (which, to me, is just about the same idea as “challenging hitters with your best stuff”) — is because challenging hitters is taking a chance of giving up big hits. Pitchers that don’t trust their best stuff to be consistently where they want it to be are the ones that take a lot of grief for leaving the ball “up” or “over the plate” and getting rocked by what are supposed to be some of the best hitters in the world. So, they nibble, pitch further away (because pitching further in means hit batters), and hope to fool more batters with swings and misses, rather than challenging batters and trying to induce weak contact.
As is the case with most things in baseball, a lack of confidence in what you’re doing will beat you every time. Which is exactly what’s happening with the nibblers..
Jim Fetterolf
1 year agoAgree, KC, as I do quite often:)
Lee Judge
1 year agoIf you haven’t heard it before now: Duffy’s on the DL, still awaiting MRI results, Adcock recalled.
Jim Kissane
1 year agoWe also shouldn’t forget the catcher is a big part of the pitching equation. The catcher is the one who calls for pitch and placement. With young pitchers, and with struggling pitchers, this is critical because it removes a lot of the pressure from the pitcher, who then simply has to execute the pitch. This, too, has a lot to do with the rhythm I mentioned a few days ago. When the pitcher and the catcher are in sync, the pitcher can develop a rhythm that keeps him in focus and prevents him from over-thinking. I’ve seen our catchers make a lot of trips to the mound which, while they can be effective in establishing sign sequences with runners on base or settling a pitcher down, can also be disruptive and even a little frustrating. Quintero and Pena are both journeyman catchers, and although they have provided much more offense than I ever expected from them, I have no idea, really, how effective they have been at calling games.
A while back, the Boston Red Sox went out and signed Tony Pena to be their starting catcher because they had a kid named Roger Clemens who showed a lot of promise and they wanted a top-flight veteran catcher behind the plate. Say what you will about his managerial record, but Pena was an outstanding handler of pitchers, and if a pitcher crossed him up or got careless, Tony would fire a 90mph heater of his own back to the mound just to jolt him back to reality. The point is, the pitcher and catcher are in this together, yet the pitchers seem to get all the credit or blame (even though Jared Weaver and Philip Humber gave profuse praise to their catchers after pitching no-hitters this spring). I haven’t heard much discussion about how well the catchers are doing as receivers. Lee?
Jim Fetterolf
1 year ago“take a look at Craig Brown’s Friday”
Craig is at his best when he trots out the charts and goes into analysis. Dave Eiland and the other Royals coaches do have access to the PitchFX data and use them. That is their tip-off to looking at mechanics, which is when they get out the video and superimpose motions, I assume, in order to spot changes.
I use Dan Brooks’ “Brooks Baseball” site for the same purposes and often comment on what I see. Brooks is handy because it is possible to link almost any game a pitcher has been in, allowing comparison between Luke’s last bad start and his Saturday great one, for instance.
Jim Kissane
1 year agoWow, Danny Duffy’s on the DL even before the MRI results? That sounds ominous. Sure hope it’s not as bad as it sounds.
Lee Judge
1 year agoJim: You’re right, catchers have some responsibility for bad outings and should get credit for good outings.
If they know the game plan and the pitcher is straying from it, they need to get them back on track.
Quintero was brought in as a catch and throw guy, so that should be a strength. Last season they paired Brayan with veterans (Chen and Francis) because they felt the veteran pitchers would know what they wanted to throw and shake Pena off if they didn’t like the call. I know everyone thinks Brayan has worked hard to improve, but don’t know what they think of his game-calling this season.
That’s something they miss without Jason Kendall: Chino Cadahia said that Jason was the best he’d ever seen at knowing what a hitter was going to do next. Having watched some baseball games with Jason, I can tell you he’s uncanny with his ability to predict what will happen on the next pitch.
Mike McFarlane told me a catcher like Jason also gives a lot of confidence to a young pitcher. If Kendall puts down a sign, it’s probably the right one and if it’s wrong, he’s a stand-up guy and will take the blame.
I can’t tell you a lot about Pena and Quintero’s game-calling, but it’s right to give them credit or blame for pitching performances.
Lee Judge
1 year agoJim: It may be that they’re just being ultra-cautious with a talented young arm. Let’s hope so.
Jim Kissane
1 year agoThanks, Lee. I feel the same way about Jason Kendall. Believe me, I’d feel a whole lot worse about Salvy Perez missing three months’ experience if he didn’t have Kendall to spend some quality time with.
Jim Wilson
1 year agoJim F., I wish our starters as a group were “decidely” average. That’s not a comment on Luke in particular. I remain hopeful about him. With the eventual addition of Myers, the return of Sal and an (at least) above average pen, an “average” group of starters would make us contenders. Unfortunately, there’s some work to do and questions to be answered on the starting pitching front to get to average.
Lee Judge
1 year agoBad news: Tommy John surgery for Duffy. The Royals were very lucky in terms of injury last season, this year, not so much.
The catcher, centerfielder, 8th inning set-up man, closer and now the best young pitcher.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year ago“I wish our starters as a group were “decidedly” average.”
Two #2s, two #3s before Duffy was lost for a year, average of 2.5 for the four. The five man average will float down, but we can hope Sanchez comes back healthy and produces around a 2 or 2.5, reasonable. I use fangraphs’ leader boards to assign values. There are other ways, but fangraphs is quick.
Jim Kissane
1 year ago@$%*#@%@!!!!! Didn’t want to hear that! Has to come as quite a disappointment to Duffy. Hope the surgery and rehab go very well, and hope he stays close to the team over the next many months. These guys have already been through a lot together. Hurry back, DD!
Brian Robinson
1 year agoThat’s really a tough break losing Danny Duffy. KC’s most glaring weakness just took a huge hit. At this point the Royals need to decide if they want to compete in this very important season. I say this is a perfect time to go after a free agent like Roy Oswalt or trade for a pitcher like Ryan Dempster.
I wonder how Gil Meche is doing these days???
Jim Fetterolf
1 year agoMight be a good excuse to bring Montgomery up for a test drive, see if his new release point translates to the bigs. Duffy’s gone for a year or so, frees up a roster spot. Otherwise it will probably be Teaford, rotation needs another lefty.
Brian Robinson
1 year agoLikely anothe minor league call-up. I hope at least now they offer Aaron Crow an opportunity.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year agoCrow is an interesting idea, good thought. He seems to be handling lefties better than last year and is experienced.
zack_delmont
1 year agoDOUG DAVIS!
Aaron Bailey
1 year agoI would like to see Crow get a chance. Sanchez will be back soon too, not sure if that is good news though. But Jim, I don’t think they should call up Montgomery under any circumstances until he is fully used to his new delivery. Putting him under the stress of a major-league game with something he’s not comfortable with is a recipe for another injury.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year agoGreat point, Aaron. I’ld like to see him put up three or four dominating starts in a row at Omaha, but Monty is doing about what Duffy was doing last year at this time, inconsistent, but showing flashes. Tough call, but I’ll agree with you. Lamb and Duffy and Soria, best to take things slow for awhile and see if there’s a systemic problem or it’s just bad luck. Crow it is:)
Jim Wilson
1 year agoJim F., the eye test and the numbers (other than your selective picking) say we weren’t average on starting pitching before the Duffy injury. Worse now, obviously. Our record, runs allowed and innings pitched by our starters scream below average starting pitching, particularly when you take into account our much improved defense. We have not scored as many runs as you would expect given many of the numbers, but I think that has/will correct itself. Our record is below average and rosy expectactions before the season started put us at best at .500 for the season so if our starting pitching is “decidely” average, what part of our game is well below averaage in your opinion?
Or are you from Lake Wobegon? Our record is 13 - 20 but we are “decidely” average or better in every phase of the game.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year agoI’ll give you the actual quote, make of it what you will:
“Two #2s, two #3s, so now it’s up to the 5th starter to decide whether we have a decidedly average staff, or better or worse.”
“our starters scream below average starting pitching”
Not with two #2s and two #3s it doesn’t. The Royals, before tonight’s game, ranked about 20th in MLB on pitching, between the Rays and the Braves on two less games, and surprisingly close to the Tigers and Indians. I’ll stand by my above quote.