Drew Pomeranz set a career high for strikeouts in a game with ten Wednesday night as the Padres pounded the Pirates 8-2. He now ranks near the top of the majors in strikeouts per nine innings. His curve ball is the key:
In five previous seasons, Pomeranz only recorded one game with at least eight strikeouts. He has now done so twice in a row, and opponents are hitting only .180 against him this season.
“His curveball is as good as a left-handed curveball there is in the game right now,” said Padres skipper Andy Green. “It’s playing very well. Ten punchouts were the product of that curveball.”
The Padres made a point of asking Pomeranz to throw his hook more than he did in three seasons as a starter with Colorado — when he used the pitch less than 17 percent of the time.
The conventional wisdom is that baseballs curve less at high altitudes, so playing at sea level in San Diego may be the boost Pomeranz needs to use the pitch effectively.
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/1MK74N9
No comments:
Post a Comment