Quote:
Originally Posted by YAZMAN
MDC threw hard and threw strikes yesterday. But he couldn't get anybody out, and threw 19 pitches facing 3 batters. Both hits he gave up were with two strikes after the hitter had seen his entire bag of tricks. You can work ahead all you want, but without an "out" pitch it's going to be tough for him to stay with the club long term.
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The hits came on 97.7 mph and 95.5 mph fastballs. Most pitchers consider fastballs of that velocity "out pitches." It's tough to make good contact on such pitches as a batter.
Furthermore, in three batters MDC allowed a ground ball, a line drive and a fly ball in the park, in that order. The most likely outcome for that sequence of balls in play is "runner on first, two out." One of the least likely outcomes is "run scored, runner on third, one out." Part of the issue yesterday is the exact location to which balls were hit and where fielders were positioned. Over time MDC's luck with defensive support will even out, but right now he's getting screwed.
I see MDC as a guy who can pitch to a 4.00 ERA long-term from the bullpen if he maintains his current level of skill and talent. That's not closer quality, but it's certainly MLB-quality.