Last Friday, Jake Arrieta rode an effective “slutter” to another quality start, lowering his ERA to 3.63, and earning a victory over the visiting Blue Jays. His six strikeouts, two walks, six hits allowed, and one run allowed over 6 ⅔ innings lengthened a solid streak of quality starts to seven games, and he is […]
Tag: Mechanics
Jason Heyward Must Seize the Means of Production
[NOTE: Social media videos are hyperlinked, not embedded, for ease of navigation.] There is a smoldering crater where Jason Heyward’s 2016 was supposed to be. Line them up: a series of solid .285-ish TAv seasons, highlighted by moderate power, stolen base totals in the 20s, and league-best fielding gave way to a vast chasm of […]
Rattle Rattle Thunder Clatter: Jake Arrieta’s Mechanics Need a Tune-up
It’s easy to get rosy-eyed when talking about Jake Arrieta. His devotion to his craft, his classically sculpted body, his majestically hirsute chin, his adorable kid, and his damn good numbers: all are qualities that inspire writers to snag the purplest of pens and analogize Arrieta to, say, an obscure poet or a 19th-century frontiersman. Arrieta’s […]
Back Tap: How Miguel Montero Rediscovered His Opposite-Field Power
When the Cubs acquired Miguel Montero in December 2014, I was higher on the move than most. I had even written an article encouraging precisely that course of action, a few weeks beforehand. I pointed to Montero’s phenomenal numbers as a pitch framer, but also to the fact that the Diamondbacks had overused him, contributing […]
Fixing Kyle Hendricks
By now most Cubs fans are well aware that, after his start last Friday, Kyle Hendricks said his mechanics were all out of whack. That much was pretty clear to see for anyone who was watching the game, and the results just backed up what our eyes were telling us: Hendricks gave up five runs, eight […]