So sayeth Pedro the Mouth, the man Yankee fans love to hate.
I was e-mailing with a friend this morning who played ball in college. He wrote:
I want to see a ton of hard hit balls tonight. I want LOUD outs when they make outs. Give AJ the lead, rip Pedro early, don’t let him sit there mugging for the cameras after 4 scoreless, reducing AJ to a supporting character in Pedro’s comeback drama. AJ will not react well to that, if it’s a staredown, AJ will blink first. Win tonight and any scenario is back on the table for the Yanks.
Pedro’s pitches are much slower and much less intimidating. He CANNOT throw the fastball by them, so he will try to get everybody out with the changeup. This is high school baseball strategy for the hitters: when the opposing pitcher canot throw the fastball by you, you adjust your approach. You try to hit the slow stuff up the middle and try to take the fastball the other way. If you gear your timing to the slow stuff, you can’t be fooled. I won’t be upset if they guess fastball while ahead in the count and take big swings and misses, but there should be minimal strikeouts and minimal weak shit induced by being way out in front of the changeup. With 2 strikes, stay back, hit the changeup back up the middle, fastball the other way.
Sounds like a plan.
People are making me nervous with the "just go wreck Pedro" attitude, as if he's been reduced to a BP pitcher. I'm afraid there will be some frustrated Yankee fans tonight.
Against the Dodgers, his fastball was clocked above 90, so he doesn't blow the ball by you anymore, but he does use guile and experience to get the hitters out. The Dodgers were hitting alot of soft flyballs and grounders against him. They couldn't square up. Hopefully the Yankee hitters will wait him out tonight!
AJ better have his "A" game going this evening, or it will be "96" all over again.
[1] This may be true. Moose couldn't throw the fastball pass anybody in 2008. To the list I would add: Lay off the junk. The secret (not such a big secret) to Dice-K was to lay off the junk. If you gave him a strike or 2, he could get you out.... otherwise you would walk or get something to hit. If we give Pedro strikes, we may end up very unhappy.
Unlike Lee, I don't think Pedro will 'come at the batters'. I don't think he will challenge you, as much as try to fool you with pitches off the plate.
Over the last 2 years, hiss BB/9 is a little over 3. A smart patient team like ours should walk at least 5 times off this guy.
He is only good gor 90 pitches... maybe less.
His stuff is league average, but like Moose, he is still VERY smart... a true pitcher. We need to be smarter.
We can not be anxious. We must work the count, and make him work for his outs.
It'll be fun to watch Pedro pitch. If he sees the Yanks waiting on his off speed stuff, he'll stay away and then bust them low and in with the heat. I think this is what he did with the Dodgers. To righties anyway, slow away means weak pop up and hard inside is a grounder. I think it'll be a game of adjustments, doing one thing the first few innings then switching it up the second time through the order... The yanks have the patience and experience to best him. We'll see soon enough.
As for AJ. Who knows? I have no idea where that guy is coming from yet. He seems to have to figure himself out in the first inning, which of his pitches is working, then he adjusts from then on. His game seems more internal than Pedro's.
Sounds like a plan indeed, though I will echo the chorus in saying that this is still Pedro and he's still one fuck of a pitcher with uncanny ability to spot the ball (at least, he used to have that, haven't seen him in awhile). Not that we can't hit him, but I don't expect a cakewalk, either.
I've got the Who's Your Daddy? Darth Vader color poster in my office that was given out when the last movie was released. I keep it in plain site to remind me of my disdain for Pedro. Let's knock him out in the first inning.
phuck this muppet UP. i won't even mention it's name.
Alex,
"I was e-mailing with a friend this morning who played ball in college."
Sounds like a cantankerous SOB who smells like IcyHot and sports the initials AB... good guess? I don't doubt you've got plenty of friends who meet the description you gave.
Between Pedro and J-Roll, the Phills have swagger. Talkin' turkey. Even Charlie Manuel is so loosey goosey.
Whereas, we play it more restrained. Classier, but tighter. I would love to see bats break out up and down our lineup to put some of that swagger to rest. Get our boys smiling. Is that too much to ask?
[8] Trying to guess who might know that... could probably name you if you tell me what kind of car you drove in high school.
[9] Agreed. I'm sick of all this "Rah, rah go Phils! beat the stupid Yankees," crap. I'm also extremely tired of "No. Not the Yankees again. I'm tired of them winning it all the time." And when exactly was our last WS crown? God I hate living in CA right now. I've refrained from talking any smack, lest it come back to haunt the Yanks. Biting my tongue is killing me.
The Yanks should be able to "sit slow" on Pedro. He doesn't throw 97 anymore, so a professional hitter should be able to key in on his off-speed stuff.
[7] That's the spirit, my friend. That's the spirit!
[10] I was a couple of years ahead of you in HS. But my younger brother played ball too, and spent at least some of the time driving a little orange Triumph. Other days, a belching old K5 Blazer.
I've got it, no Dought.
Yes you have. Best to all you and yours from sunny N.C.! Now back to the mango tree thread...