• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

Reds Tidbits (2012 Season)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/26070/mat-latos-one-of-nls-most-vital-players

...

Is this a turn-the-corner game for Latos? Hard to say. After his last start, when the Indians pounded him for eight hits and three home runs in four innings, he hinted the Indians were stealing signs. "I was a little up in the zone. I thought I made some good pitches that they spit on with a runner on second base," Latos said after the game. "When you go back and look at video, a couple runners on second base, they put better swings on the ball than they did most of the time without a runner on second base."

Hmm. Of course, lefties have been pounding Latos all season and the Indians have some good left-handed hitters, so I'm a little dubious about that excuse. The Brewers, meanwhile, are the perfect matchup for Latos, considering they have no left-handed power. The only lefties in Monday's lineup were Norichika Aoki, who homered on a meaty fastball down the middle in the sixth, Nyjer Morgan and Cesar Izturis. Not exactly murderer's row there.

Still, as Latos punched his glove one, two, three times after the victory, you wonder if maybe this is the kind of start that can send a pitcher on a roll. I think there's little doubt that Latos is one of the most important players in the NL. The Reds have a legit ace in Johnny Cueto, who is in the running to start the All-Star Game, and they need Latos to step up as that solid No. 2 guy.

Some may point out that Latos' struggles are the result of switching from spacious Petco Park to The Great American Ball Park and its smaller dimensions. I'm not sure that's the case. He has allowed 12 home runs in 59.1 innings at home; but he's allowed five in 29 innings on the road. His road ERA in six starts this season is 7.45. And during his three years in San Diego, his home run splits weren't extreme -- 17 home runs allowed in 184.1 innings at home, 22 home runs allowed in 243.1 innings on the road. His home run-to-fly ball percentage is high at 16 percent, and after studying his heat maps, his fastball location seems pretty identical to last year, so it's hard to say how if it's a matter of bad luck, pitch sequencing or sign stealing.

...
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
jlb1705;2171314; said:
This Brewers pitcher just came off the DL, and he has eight strikeouts in less than four innings.

His career high is 9 strikeouts in a game.

Fuck these fucking hacks.
Click to expand...


BurgerKestrad.png
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top