As noted before, and during, Game 2 of the ALCS in Tampa/St. Pete, Josh Beckett's velocity has not fully recovered since his latest DL stint. Back from elbow issues, Beckett is suffering from an oblique injury. More background here. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe has the Red Sox saying Beckett is fine, just struggling with location.
"More than anything, it was mislocation," said Sox pitching coach John Farrell. "I thought his stuff was consistent with what he was throwing the last 6-7-8 weeks of the season."
Not so much.
Here are the max MPH by start for Beckett in Tampa. The April start features dozens of pitches faster than the his best pitches in his recent outings under the dome.
2008-04-27 98.3
2008-09-16 94.4
2008-10-11 94.4
In the following speed chart, you'll see two things. A loss in velocity after the DL stint (the gap) and an apparant difference in speed between Boston and Tampa, in terms of PITCHf/x release speed (adjusted to y0=55).
For a chart including other parks, see the earlier post.
He's hurting, but not any better or worse than the last few times out. I did notice a drop in curveballs earlier, which is something to watch for, assuming he gets another start.
0 comments:
Post a Comment