2013 Spring Traing Game Thread

[mvp 78]

Not often that you see pitchers wearing dark sunglasses like Sandoval. They aren't working for him either.

[Dojji]

Christian Vazquez has an arm.

 

Could easily see that kid becoming a longterm backup for us.

[jung]

The pitchers are way ahead of the hitters at this point. In several of these games, the hitters have not even been able to put many balls in play...either side. Anything off speed or breaking is really hard for the hitters to handle at this point in the spring.

[Station 13]

Not a fan of Bard toying around with the changeup.

[jung]

That 12/6 curve to Gomez from Inman was just plain unfair. No idea how a hitter gets to that this early in the spring.

[jung]

Look out folks...here comes the knuckler that at least so far, does not knuckle.

[jung]

Felix can't find the plate so far tonight...pitching around that spare tire still I see.

[Station 13]

Felix can't find the plate so far tonight...pitching around that spare tire still I see.

 

How are his pace/tempo?

[jung]

It took him about 16 pitches to have any sort of pace at all. Walked the lead off hitter. He was truly groping for his arm angle and I mean really groping. You could tell he was trying to find his rhythm. Past pitch number 16, he was in much better shape. Maintained his arm angle....had good pace and pitched much better. Was catching hitters timing the FB and swinging over the off speed pitch when they got that instead. Ended up getting a couple of ground balls to get out of the inning. Early problem had him throwing about 27 pitches to get out of the first inning.

[Station 13]

I see Aceves already got taken deep in his return from the WBC. Same dude who took him deep in the 9th last season.

[jung]

Ace hit the guy in the back the next time he came up. Almost had a ST brawl goin'.

[Station 13]

Ellsbury continues to pull the ball weakly to the right side. He has like 5 groundball to flyball ratio this spring. He's not having good ABs either.

[VA Sox Fan]

Gomes is hitting well today. 2 RBI today.

[VA Sox Fan]

Lester threw 6 perfect innings!!

[jung]

Ells has been one of about a zillion hitters I have seen seemingly surprised by how early in ST the pitchers started throwing their off-speed and breaking stuff. He is constantly swinging over the ball instead of swinging "inside" the ball (a popular term of use these days). He is always early and hence ends up swinging over the top of the off-speed and breaking ball grounding it weakly somewhere. The total number of GB outs by hitters so far this spring seems staggeringly high as an unscientific observation.

 

I actually am wondering what managers will do if this pitching trend in ST is going to continue. Will they give the hitters more batting practice so they don't lose confidence? I really don't know. I can tell you that if you don't see something you can hit, very often you end up not hitting anything. It almost seems unfair to come at the hitters this way. Heck they are likely all scared shitless by the threat of in season drug testing. That may well finally be the straw that breaks the PED use back. Now they have pitchers throwing off-speed and breaking stuff one week or even less than one week into the ST games.

[mvp 78]

It's ST, pitchers overuse their offspeed stuff because it's only practice and they work kn all their pitches. This isn't new. This isn't some dramatic swing in pitching philosophy.

[jung]

They usually do not start throwing off-speed as early in the the Spring games as they have this year. Of course working off speed is not a new ST phenomenon. Usually there is a more gradual pace and the hitters see many more FB's as a % of total pitches early. I have not seen a spring where the hitters were this far behind the pitchers early and across baseball. The only thing I can suggest to account for it is the only thing I see that seems different....that being how early the pitchers started working off-speed and breaking stuff.

 

The hitters are not K-ing to any extraordinary degree. They are pounding out a bunch of ground balls, mistiming breaking and off-speed pitches.

 

The hitting so far has been truly feeble across hitters and teams. I have hardly seen many balls in the air because the hitters are pounding everything into the ground. That is not just true of the Red Sox games I have seen but virtually all of the games I have seen.

 

Lester's curve ball today was a good example. That was an insane curve ball for March 17th. The curve Inman was throwing to the Sox was an insane curve ball for March 10th. I would say the pitchers are over a week ahead of schedule compared to where I am used to seeing them in the Spring. Maybe the changes forced upon teams because of WBC has something to do with it. Can't tell.

[User Name]

Do you have any proof of this or is this just a theory of yours? From all i've seen and heard, depending on the pitcher they'll spend most of ST working on off-speed stuff, no gradual adjustment, just like when prospects get sent to the winter leagues.

[jung]

Generally, pitchers never start the Spring throwing everything. They start with FB. They have always started with FB. Then work the rest in. Nobody starts throwing everything from day one.

 

It seems to me that both the number of balls being beaten into the ground early on is up and that pitchers started working off-speed and breaking ball into their work earlier. It would make sense for both to coincide.

 

I will have to check to see if there is some way to collate the data for ground outs one spring to the next across baseball. I don't think there will be a way to find spring pitch mix year to year. However total ground outs might be there in some form or another.

[User Name]

"Day one" and "early in ST" are different things.

[jung]

Day one and early spring are different things. But if you are not going to start with everything then you are going to work the rest in on some schedule or another.

[jung]

JBJ gets hit first time up today against yanks

[Station 13]

To the opposite field as well. He does hit well that way ,took one deep at Twins camp weeks ago.

[Palodios]

Doubront is throwing batting practice today.

[Station 13]

Doubront is throwing batting practice today.

 

He's laying an egg right now. Though Sutton is responsible for prolonging the suffering. We don't have any 3B other than Middlebrooks?

[jung]

Sox facing a higher % of good teams in these last 11 games starting with the O's last night. They finish with 3 straight games with the cannon fodder Twins for another ego boost.

[jung]

Funny....can't tell how many Sox fans are in the stands today. Can't tell when Youk K'ed if that was Sox or Yankee fans shouting Youuuk or Sox or Yankee fans booing him.

[mvp 78]

Lackey raising his era in the 1st.

[mvp 78]

And Don is broadcasting live from a tin can, in case you were wondering.

[VA Sox Fan]

And Don is broadcasting live from a tin can, in case you were wondering.

 

What channel are you watching the game on? NESN doesn't have it.