Cubs Look for Sweep Against Jimenez

After six straight wins at home, the Cubs have a chance to sweep their second straight series against the NL West. Sunday's pitching match-up is Sean Gallagher against Rockies flamethrower Ubaldo Jimenez. Jimenez can touch the upper 90's with this fastball and mixes in some breaking and off-speed stuff.

cfx	#	mph	pfx_x	pfx_z	deg	rpm
CH	102	86.8	-7.0	4.4	231	1,063
CU	85	76.1	6.6	-4.3	232	894
F2	359	95.3	-7.0	5.4	230	1,229
F4	288	96.6	-6.5	9.1	212	1,566
SL	111	86.8	2.8	2.1	171	570

cfx	bats	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	L	75	36.0	12.0	10.7	18.7	22.7	0.0	52.00	20.51	3.0	34.67	9.33	40.82	21.21
CU	L	41	56.1	24.4	7.3	2.4	9.8	0.0	19.51	37.50	2.3	29.27	14.63	17.24	50.00
F2	L	196	35.2	17.3	5.6	16.3	25.5	0.0	47.45	11.83	2.0	47.96	11.22	27.45	25.22
F4	L	165	40.6	16.4	3.0	23.6	14.5	1.2	42.42	7.14	2.5	47.88	13.94	22.09	28.00
SL	L	40	30.0	12.5	22.5	12.5	22.5	0.0	57.50	39.13	2.4	55.00	5.00	33.33	21.74
CH	R	27	48.1	11.1	18.5	3.7	18.5	0.0	40.74	45.45	4.3	37.04	3.70	23.53	27.27
CU	R	44	43.2	34.1	4.5	6.8	11.4	0.0	22.73	20.00	1.3	45.45	9.09	16.67	60.87
F2	R	163	29.4	23.3	8.6	17.2	20.9	0.0	46.63	18.42	1.3	52.15	12.88	34.62	33.96
F4	R	123	39.8	16.3	8.1	16.3	19.5	0.0	43.90	18.52	2.5	43.09	13.82	27.14	26.09
SL	R	71	50.7	12.7	12.7	12.7	9.9	1.4	36.62	34.62	4.0	38.03	11.27	22.73	33.33

The data shown is for 2008 only. It does include all games, although I ran my cluster analysis with home games first, then away games. Here's how they differ.

	cfx	#	mph	pfx_x	pfx_z	deg	rpm
A	CH	65	86.7	-9.0	4.4	237	1,257
A	CU	58	76.3	5.6	-4.5	225	818
A	F2	208	94.6	-9.3	5.1	241	1,425
A	F4	190	96.8	-8.7	9.6	222	1,771
A	SL	77	86.7	1.7	2.6	173	513
H	CH	37	87.0	-3.6	4.5	221	722
H	CU	27	75.7	9.0	-4.0	246	1,059
H	F2	151	96.2	-4.0	5.7	215	959
H	F4	98	96.3	-2.0	8.2	194	1,167
H	SL	34	86.8	5.2	1.1	166	698

The two-seam/four-seam splits differ, so I suspect the clustering doesn't figure out the noise in the away data correctly. The huge differences in pfx_x are quite interesting, and the corresponding difference in spin direction. The spin rates also have a strange relationship, so, again, grain of salt time.

Nonetheless, you get an idea of what he uses, and how it does when you roll it up.

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	102	39.2	11.8	12.7	14.7	21.6	0.0	49.02	26.00	3.3	35.29	7.84	36.36	22.73
CU	85	49.4	29.4	5.9	4.7	10.6	0.0	21.18	27.78	1.7	37.65	11.76	16.98	56.10
F2	359	32.6	20.1	7.0	16.7	23.4	0.0	47.08	14.79	1.6	49.86	11.98	30.56	29.41
F4	288	40.3	16.3	5.2	20.5	16.7	0.7	43.06	12.10	2.5	45.83	13.89	24.36	27.22
SL	111	43.2	12.6	16.2	12.6	14.4	0.9	44.14	36.73	3.4	44.14	9.01	25.81	28.57

Each pitch has merit. The change-up gets chased out of the zone and has a decent whiff rate as a result. The curve is taken for a lot of strikes and rarely ends up being put in play. The two-seamer is an effective pitch, since he throws it for strikes, or close to it, and seems to be something that's thrown to contact. The four-seamer is just plain fast and sets-up the rest. The off-speed and breaking stuff is only going to be effective if he throws that for strikes. The slider is not overwhelming, but pretty nasty. He seems to keep it around the strike zone, but misses a lot of bats.

Rusch f/x and the Wonders of Bobby Hull

How 'bout Bobby Hull in the booth today? I just watched the replay on MLB.com and he was hilarious. I learned a few things, like he would have a drink at the Bears game and score a hat trick that night. And Ryne Sandberg played with Billy Williams and Glenn Beckert. Huh, did not know that. Brett Hull is a Jim Edmonds fan. And Bobby may take the throne from Ditka for worst 7th inning stretch performance.

---

Glendon Rusch, not only alive after a blood clot in his lung, but back in baseball. In the majors. The Padres let him go after some relief work, but now he's back and with the Rockies. He's stretched out a little in Colorado Springs, but I'm not sure he'll go more than five innings tomorrow.

cfx	#	mph	pfx_x	pfx_z	deg	rpm
CH	58	82.6	4.5	8.9	154	1,197
CU	33	74.7	-1.4	-0.7	185	298
F2	82	90.0	7.8	9.7	141	1,589
F4	139	90.4	4.3	12.5	161	1,675
SL	13	82.0	-2.4	4.5	206	604

The two fastballs could be one, and the slider and the curve overlap a lot, too.



But, going with that split for these pitches, here's how they fell.

cfx	bats	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	L	17	52.9	17.6	5.9	5.9	17.6	0.0	29.41	20.00	3.0	23.53	23.53	15.38	14.29
CU	L	17	58.8	0.0	5.9	11.8	23.5	0.0	41.18	14.29		41.18	5.88	20.00	25.00
F2	L	33	24.2	36.4	0.0	15.2	24.2	0.0	39.39	0.00	0.7	57.58	15.15	21.43	37.50
F4	L	26	34.6	15.4	0.0	30.8	19.2	0.0	50.00	0.00	2.3	50.00	15.38	23.08	17.65
SL	L	9	22.2	22.2	22.2	11.1	22.2	0.0	55.56	40.00	1.0	0.00	44.44	55.56	0.00
CH	R	41	61.0	12.2	7.3	4.9	12.2	2.4	26.83	27.27	5.0	21.95	12.20	12.50	14.29
CU	R	16	25.0	31.3	6.3	18.8	18.8	0.0	43.75	14.29	0.8	31.25	12.50	54.55	57.14
F2	R	49	26.5	14.3	2.0	30.6	26.5	0.0	59.18	3.45	1.9	48.98	18.37	44.00	18.18
F4	R	113	37.2	24.8	4.4	15.9	16.8	0.9	38.05	11.63	1.5	46.90	17.70	20.00	30.56
SL	R	4	25.0	0.0	25.0	25.0	25.0	0.0	75.00	33.33		50.00	0.00	50.00	0.00

PITCHf/x from Neal Cotts' Return to Chicago

The Cubs sent Jose Ascanio down to Iowa, and added Neal Cotts to the bullpen. The 2nd lefty, joining Scott Eyre, was doing very well in Iowa and gives Lou another option that he hasn't had in 2008. I grabbed the data for Neal's three at bats right away since none of his 2007 appearances were in a PFX enabled park. Plus, I missed the call/broadcast.

Neal faced Willy Taveras, Seth Smith, and Todd Helton. He didn't get the job done, but his stuff looks OK. He gave up a single that "deflected" off D. Lee, which may not be a big deal. But, Taveras was batting with the bases loaded, and that scored two runs.

He struck out Smith, but walked the bases loaded by issuing a free pass to Todd Helton. Wuertz came in and bailed him out.

The release point is 50ft, I haven't corrected back to 55 yet.





The one "good" slider that looks fat was whiffed at by Seth Smith.

A Tale of Two Closers

Manny Corpas and Brian Fuentes have traded the closers job back-and-forth for what seems like years already. Fuentes is the current holder of the position. So, let's start with Manny.

Table is sortable (click the headers). Manny throws a hard fastball/sinker and a nasty slider. The slider is very tough on righties.

p	b	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
FA	L	273	38.8	16.1	5.5	12.8	26.0	0.7	45.05	12.20	2.4	33.33	13.19	34.07	24.00
SI	L	25	36.0	24.0	8.0	8.0	24.0	0.0	40.00	20.00	1.5	44.00	12.00	21.43	30.77
SL	L	61	37.7	26.2	9.8	8.2	16.4	1.6	36.07	27.27	1.4	31.15	13.11	23.81	26.92
FA	R	235	32.3	14.9	6.4	20.0	25.5	0.9	52.77	12.10	2.2	51.49	14.47	35.96	24.84
SI	R	22	50.0	22.7	4.5	4.5	18.2	0.0	27.27	16.67	2.2	36.36	13.64	21.43	45.45
SL	R	123	35.0	24.4	15.4	9.8	14.6	0.8	40.65	38.00	1.4	51.22	12.20	31.67	41.56

Fuentes is the southpaw, and throws four pitches. Sinks the ball very well, and does some damage on lefties with his slider.

p	b	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	L	3	33.3	33.3	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	33.33	100.00	1.0	0.00	33.33	33.33	0.00
F2	L	48	20.8	27.1	8.3	16.7	27.1	0.0	52.08	16.00	0.8	56.25	20.83	38.10	27.03
F4	L	70	32.9	22.9	8.6	24.3	11.4	0.0	44.29	19.35	1.4	58.57	10.00	27.59	37.50
SL	L	74	48.6	17.6	17.6	5.4	10.8	0.0	33.78	52.00	2.8	29.73	12.16	28.85	38.71
CH	R	184	46.2	5.4	14.7	14.1	19.0	0.5	48.37	30.34	8.5	28.26	10.33	37.88	19.40
F2	R	295	34.2	15.9	8.5	23.4	17.6	0.3	49.83	17.01	2.1	49.83	14.58	27.03	21.16
F4	R	227	39.2	20.3	10.6	18.9	10.6	0.4	40.53	26.09	1.9	45.81	15.42	22.76	28.99
SL	R	21	38.1	23.8	9.5	14.3	14.3	0.0	38.10	25.00	1.6	42.86	14.29	25.00	33.33

Fuentes has been tough this year, but Corpas has struggled. His ERA is 5.81, despite improved performance as a set-up man. Still, too many walks, leaving his season total at 15. With 14 strikeouts. Not a good ratio, to put it mildly.

Jeff Francis - 2008 f/x

Just in time for first pitch, Jeff Francis and the Rockies visit Wrigley for a four-game set, starting tonight. The Rockies are injury depleted and in need of a good start. The Cubs have hit lefties well this year. Here's the PFX on Francis. He hasn't seemed to throw a slider this year, but it may be hiding in the cloud. I'm also not splitting a fastball by seams with this guy.

        total   LHH     RHH
CH      167     26.8%   28.1%
CU       72     19.6%   10.3%
FA      360     53.6%   61.6%
        599     112     487

Spin movement from catcher's perspective, measured in inches.



And outcomes

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	167	33.5	9.0	19.8	18.0	18.0	1.8	57.49	34.38	3.7	40.72	11.38	43.43	17.65
CU	72	45.8	25.0	6.9	11.1	9.7	0.0	27.78	25.00	1.8	38.89	9.72	15.91	42.86
FA	360	38.6	15.8	5.8	17.8	20.8	1.1	45.56	12.80	2.4	46.94	14.17	24.61	23.64

An unimpressive fastball, a decent change-up and a very good curveball. I suspect this guy relies on command and location with the breaking stuff, because, with that fastball, he can't afford to fall behind. The change, apparently, is the last-line of defense. I'm not properly set-up to look at pitch sequencing by count, but I think I need to get that done. That could help explore this matter. So can watching the game tonight.

Cubs Win in Extras Over Dodgers - Zambrano Battles Lowe

Cubs swept the Dodgers, but it wasn't easy - Derek Lowe and Carlos Zambrano battled, but, in the end it was the bullpens that decided it.

Big Z managed to get a lot of not his best outing, thanks in part to the Dodger's line-up. Derek Lowe, meanwhile, shut-down a line-up of .300 hitters (excluding Johnson, including Carlos).

Zambrano had a lot of movement but not his best command. He was effectively wild, as they say.

Pitch mix

       total      LHH        RHH
CU       4        0.0%       6.1%
F2      11       12.5%       4.5%
F4      48       26.6%      47.0%
FC      44       46.9%      21.2%
SI       8       12.5%       0.0%
SL      15        1.6%      21.2%
       130        64         66

Effectiveness/Outcomes

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CU	4	25.0	25.0	0.0	0.0	25.0	0.0	25.00	0.00	1.0	0.00	0.00	25.00
F2	11	36.4	0.0	9.1	9.1	45.5	0.0	63.64	14.29		27.27	9.09	50.00	0.00
F4	48	33.3	22.9	2.1	20.8	20.8	0.0	43.75	4.76	1.5	41.67	18.75	32.14	27.59
FC	44	45.5	15.9	9.1	18.2	11.4	0.0	38.64	23.53	2.9	47.73	9.09	17.39	32.00
SI	8	25.0	12.5	12.5	12.5	37.5	0.0	62.50	20.00	2.0	37.50	0.00	40.00	0.00
SL	15	46.7	20.0	6.7	20.0	6.7	0.0	33.33	20.00	2.3	40.00	20.00	11.11	22.22

The sinker worked, pitching to contact. Other than that, he was all over the place.

Zambrano 5/28 Spin Movement - all (in.)



Zambrano 5/28 Spin Movement - aggregate (in.)



Zambrano 5/28 Locations - all (ft.)



Derek Lowe had much better command. Didn't go around walking and hitting guys to give up runs, for example.

Pitch mix

      total      LHH        RHH
CH       6      31.3%       1.4%
F2      28      25.0%      32.9%
F4      19       0.0%      26.0%
SL      36      43.8%      39.7%
        89       16         73

Effectiveness/Outcomes

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	6	33.3	0.0	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	66.67	100.00		0.00	33.33	66.67	0.00
F2	28	21.4	28.6	0.0	21.4	28.6	0.0	50.00	0.00	0.8	67.86	3.57	11.11	30.00
F4	19	52.6	21.1	0.0	15.8	10.5	0.0	26.32	0.00	2.5	42.11	21.05	0.00	33.33
SL	36	47.2	11.1	16.7	8.3	16.7	0.0	41.67	40.00	4.3	25.00	11.11	33.33	25.00

The damage was done with the slider. Rarely thrown for a strike, he still got a lot swings and misses out of it.

Lowe 5/28 Spin Movement - all (in.)



Lowe 5/28 Spin Movement - aggregate (in.)



Lowe 5/28 Locations - all (ft.)



Down, down, and down, except for a few low ones.

Rockies in town for four starting Thursday night. Jeff Francis gets the ball. I've covered him before (poorly), but I'm working on an update.

By the way, Zambrano didn't get tired. Here's the MPH for his four-seamer and cutter as the game went on. No change.

Lowe Angle

Derek Lowe tries to help the Dodgers avoid a sweep,as the Cubs are clearly happy to be home. And they're winning some close games, instead of blowouts, for a change. In varying weather conditions, no less. Wednesday is another night game, and the Rockies open at night on Thursday.

Derek Lowe sinks the ball with pretty much everything. Here's a good scouting report on him from 2003, originally in The Sporting News. I don't find the same pitches exactly.

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	345	35.9	7.2	15.4	18.6	22.3	0.6	56.81	27.04	5.0	18.55	11.30	51.25	12.24
F2	969	36.7	21.9	6.4	13.7	20.6	0.6	41.38	15.46	1.7	43.45	12.69	25.91	30.06
F4	779	38.0	20.8	5.4	14.1	21.2	0.5	41.21	13.08	1.8	40.69	16.30	23.16	24.12
SL	578	34.6	19.4	14.7	14.0	16.8	0.5	46.02	31.95	1.8	33.04	14.01	37.47	26.62

      total       LHH        RHH
CH      345      22.1%       3.8%
F2      969      30.8%      41.8%
F4      779      23.0%      35.3%
SL      578      24.2%      19.1%
       2671      1333       1338

Someone warn Edmonds about the circle-change.

Saito and Broxton f/x

Takashi Saito and Jonathan Broxton comprise the back-end of the LA Dodgers bullpen. And it is an impressive duo.

Since a picture is worth some unknown quantity of words, I give you two. Saito and Broxton aggregate PFX



Saito (above) has good stuff, adds in the occasional curveball, but basically attacks with three pitches. Here's Broxton, then I'll break it down.



OK, that dude throws hard. I think we all know that. How effective are these guys?

Saito	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CU	113	44.2	22.1	7.1	12.4	14.2	0.0	33.63	21.05	2.0	34.51	17.70	29.73	38.98
F2	141	30.5	11.3	7.1	22.0	29.1	0.0	58.16	12.20	2.7	34.04	21.28	49.46	15.58
F4	505	31.7	19.4	16.2	22.6	9.7	0.4	48.91	33.20	1.6	46.93	14.46	30.97	23.78
SL	227	35.7	14.5	16.3	16.7	15.9	0.9	49.78	32.74	2.5	32.60	14.98	39.22	19.63
Broxton	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	33	33.3	6.1	6.1	33.3	21.2	0.0	60.61	10.00	5.5	45.45	12.12	44.44	15.79
FA	761	36.8	16.3	9.9	22.7	14.1	0.3	46.91	21.01	2.3	44.68	14.98	28.03	22.39
SL	302	22.8	15.9	26.5	19.2	15.6	0.0	61.26	43.24	1.4	45.03	16.23	56.63	26.01

Broxton's slider is absolutely filthy. If you've seen it, the whiff rate shouldn't shock you. Saito's stuff is very good, not as sick as Broxton's, and he mixes it up differently.

Saito	total	LHH	RHH
CU	113	17.7%	5.1%
F2	141	24.5%	3.9%
F4	505	44.0%	58.6%
SL	227	13.9%	32.4%
	986	498	488

Saito mixes in the two-seamer against lefties, and the curveball will appear more often. The slider drops off considerably. Broxton, on the other hand, is power and power.

Broxton	total	LHH	RHH
CH	33	4.8%	1.0%
FA	761	69.8%	69.1%
SL	302	25.4%	30.0%
	1096	579	517

Hiroki Kuroda to face Cubs

In a Japanese All-Star match-up, Kosuke Fukudome will get to face an old foe Tuesday night at Wrigley. The Dodgers will send rookie Hiroki Kuroda to face Kosuke and his teammates. One of those teammates, Alfonso Soriano, was once a member of Kuroda's team. With all this natural interest, it is no surprise the game will be broadcast live in Japan.

Kuroda has a reputation of strike-thrower who changes speeds. After referring to various sources (Prospect Insider, Fangraphs, interviews etc.) I'm able to align reality with what I've observed - he throws five pitches.

Four-seam
Two-seam
Cutter
Slider
Forkball (or Splitter, but he calls it a forkball)

Given his ability to change speeds, the slider and the cutter can blend, and the slider can look more like a curveball etc.

There is one pitch that was an outlier. I understand pitches are on a continuum, but this is off the chart. Here's the big picture - see the dark blue dot up in his four-seamer (gold dots)



Turns out to be his last pitch a couple weeks ago against the Angels. Vlady put it in play, driving in a run on a fielders choice. Ross Paul's real-time ID was CH. It hides amongst a few others they ID as change-ups, but I found those to be either sliders or forkballs. So, I go to the video on mlb.com to see for myself. (BTW, notice what may be a bunch of curves hanging around the slider? I still think they're sliders, of some type).

I manage to find his last inning, in progress against Gary Matthews, Jr., at 2:09:07. He threw a pair of wild pitches, but neither were captured by Gameday. Vlad comes up and fouls one right down the line (and fair), it is called foul, and an argument ensues. Then, when things settle down, the last pitch is thrown by Kuroda. While Gameday lists a 76.7 mph pitch, it shows up as 94 on the gun, and looks like a good old fashioned heater - probably a four-seamer. Something went wrong with that one.

But I digress.... Here is the aggregate pitch chart for Kuroda



Outcomes

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
F2	267	31.1	14.6	4.9	25.1	23.2	0.7	53.93	9.03	2.1	38.58	14.61	44.51	23.02
F4	186	36.6	16.1	7.0	21.5	18.3	0.5	47.31	14.77	2.3	50.54	12.37	25.00	25.00
FC	155	31.6	14.2	3.9	25.8	24.5	0.0	54.19	7.14	2.2	50.97	7.10	31.58	21.11
FF	166	38.6	6.6	17.5	13.3	23.5	0.0	54.22	32.22	5.8	30.12	12.05	43.10	14.71
SL	201	40.3	14.4	12.9	13.4	17.9	1.0	45.27	28.57	2.8	39.30	13.43	30.33	23.58

The forkball and slider are both pretty nasty. The slider, however, is thrown for more strikes.

Here's how he mixes pitches by batter hand

      LHH      RHH
F2    42.6%    16.5%
F4     8.6%    26.6%
FC    14.3%    17.1%
FF    20.9%    14.3%
SL    13.8%    25.5%

Someone needs to tell Jim Edmonds about that forkball.

Reds Finally Follow-Thru on Hamilton Deal

When the Reds traded Josh Hamilton for Edinson Volquez, both teams got a lot of value. Why Rangers felt they could move a quality starter is beyond me, but they did get a talented player in return. The Reds, on the other hand, were doing the obvious - making room for Jay Bruce, as their future centerfielder was clearly ready to go.

Thing is, that's not what they ended up doing. Instead of giving Jay Bruce the CF job, they gave it to Corey Patterson. Signed to a $3 million deal, Corey has - predictably - stunk. Bruce, meanwhile, destroyed AAA. Again.

Well, the dance is over, Bruce is on his way up.

The Cincinnati Reds announced Monday that outfielder Jay Bruce, a top major league prospect, will be recalled from Triple-A Louisville before Tuesday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

GM Wayne Krvisky got the axe a month ago, and I expect Corey Patterson to be DFA'd by the time he finishes the leftovers from the holiday BBQ.

Updated 5.27 Well, Corey lives to see another day - Hatteberg got DFA'd.

ex-Cub Geremi Gonzalez Struck by Lightning

Tragic news out of Caracas

Geremi Gonzalez, who won 11 games for the Chicago Cubs in 1997, was killed by a lightning strike in his native Venezuela on Sunday. He was 33.

Condolences to his friends and family, and any other victims of this deadly lightning strike.

Dodgers Roster Updates

As the Los Angeles Dodgers roll into town, they're just settling in after a series of roster moves. They're still dealing with some key injuries as well, and the LA Times has a good run-down.

• Shortstop Rafael Furcal will stay behind, his back too sore to sit on the plane. He remains on the DL.


• Nomar Garciaparra was moved from the 15-day to the 60-day DL, opening a roster spot for....


• Terry Tiffee who takes the 25-man spot from....


• Andruw Jones, who is out 4-6 weeks for knee surgery


• Clayton Kershaw is now in the Dodger rotation, he took the roster spot of....


• Yhency Brazoban, who was optioned to Las Vegas, and...


• Esteban Loaiza was DFA'd to make room on the 40-man roster for Kershaw


• Other moves in May (yes, just this month) include DL'ing Gary Bennett and calling up Danny Ardoin to back-up Russell Martin, who has played some 3rd base since everyone else who plays 3rd is hurt most of the time. And Luis Maza is up for Furcal. Jason Schmidt and Tony Abreu went to the 60-day DL, in related moves.

The outfield is Pierre-Kemp-Ethier. That's 2/3 good, 1/3 awful. The infield includes rookie Blake DeWitt, who plays nice defense and is hitting alright, Hu's at short (Chin-lung, that is), Jeff Kent is slumping at 2nd, and James Loney is at first. They do have some quality bats, but only at four spots. Right now, Pierre, DeWitt, Hu and Kent are not producing. A bench of Tiffee, Maza, Ardoin, Delwyn Young and Mark Sweeney provides the "depth".

I'll have a pre-game look at the bullpen on Monday morning. Chad Billingsley starts on Memorial Day - read more about him.

Cubs Limp Home to Face Chad Billingsley

After a stunning defeat to polish off a 2-4 trip, the Cubs come home to face the Dodgers and the Rockies. Chad Billingsley takes the ball for LA on Memorial Day. He's a hard throwing righty, who may actually be a refreshing change from the generic array of lefties in Pittsburgh.



In 2007, his four-seamer broke 99 five times, topping out at 99.7 mph. This year, he's done no better than 96.7. I suspect the 2008 numbers are more accurate. Either way, that's some heat. On the other end is that curveball, which can drop well into the 60s.

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	88	55.7	12.5	2.3	11.4	18.2	0.0	31.82	7.14	4.5	35.23	4.55	12.28	28.57
CU	433	42.3	17.6	15.9	13.6	10.4	0.0	39.95	39.88	2.4	38.57	12.47	31.58	36.28
F2	310	44.8	20.3	3.5	10.6	20.3	0.0	34.52	10.28	2.2	38.06	14.84	22.40	33.33
F4	1314	38.2	20.2	8.2	18.9	14.1	0.4	41.55	19.78	1.9	42.69	13.17	26.56	29.82
FC	444	34.2	12.2	13.1	19.8	20.0	0.7	53.60	24.37	2.8	43.69	14.19	39.60	21.74
SL	5	20.0	20.0	40.0	20.0	0.0	0.0	60.00	66.67	1.0	60.00	0.00	50.00	33.33

                    LHH         RHH
CH        88       5.49%       1.36%
CU       433      17.97%      15.45%
F2       310      12.40%      11.52%
F4      1314      45.53%      55.61%
FC       444      18.52%      15.76%
SL         5       0.08%       0.30%

Not a huge difference for Billingsley based on batter hand; beyond the change-ups, everything stays pretty close. The drop in four-seamers against lefties is picked up evenly by most of the other pitches.

Baseball Reference has a few interesting things on Chad, of course. Jim Edmonds has faced Billingsley the most of any Cub, with eight PA. Jason Marquis is next with four, and Soriano with three. The eight Cubs who have faced Chad have combined for a .295 OPS in 21 PA.

Billingsley opened the season in the bullpen, but, after two relief appearances, has made nine starts. His 10th will be the 2nd on five days rest. Chad struggled in his first four starts, but, in that 4th, struck out 12 Diamondbacks. Since then, he's lowered his ERA nearly three runs, to 3.76.

He tends to walk a lot of guys, so a patient Cubs team should be able to wear him down early, and get to the bullpen in the 6th or 7th inning.

Cubs @ Pirates - Sunday's Line-Up

Ted Lilly v Paul Maholm, and Carlos Marmol is designated as the closer today. I suspect Capps is getting the day off the Pirates, too.

Facing Paul Maholm:

Soriano lf
Theriot ss
Lee 1b
Ramirez 3b
Johnson cf
Fukudome rf
DeRosa 2b
Blanco c

Against Lilly:

Sanchez 2b
Rivas ss
McClouth cf
Bay lf
Nady rf
LaRoche 1b
Bautista 3b
Paulino c

Chase Utley - Not a Slacker

Knuckle Curve posted this yesterday, so I figured I'd steal it today.

Chase Utley is the first guy to the park every day, and he uses video extensively to prepare for the entire opposing staff.

In this clip, he's interviewed on the subject and shows-off the Phillies video room. You don't get a very close look at the kit, but you'll get the point.

Maholm's Stuff and Lilly's Curve

After an extra-inning defeat against the Pirates, the Cubs will attempt to win their first road series since the early 1980's tomorrow. Sunday's series finale is the last match-up of the division rivals until August. Ted Lilly will face Paul Maholm.

This post has two parts, one is the regular look at the opposing pitcher, and the second is an update on Ted Lilly's pitch selection.

Paul Maholm

Two-seam, Four-seam, Slider, Change and Curve.

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	117	38.5	11.1	14.5	12.0	23.1	0.9	50.43	28.81	3.5	42.74	8.55	34.33	23.73
CU	206	45.6	21.8	8.3	13.1	10.7	0.0	32.04	25.76	2.1	40.78	10.19	22.13	43.27
F2	420	38.6	11.7	3.8	14.0	31.0	0.7	49.52	7.69	3.3	50.48	12.62	27.40	23.19
F4	435	34.0	18.6	5.3	21.1	19.8	0.9	47.13	11.22	1.8	50.34	10.57	31.02	30.57
SL	151	33.8	23.2	14.6	15.9	11.3	0.7	42.38	34.38	1.5	47.68	15.89	34.18	36.46

That looks to be a pretty good slider. It is a bit of a challenge to split the curveball and the slider, but I think the Mike Fast MPH vs. Spin Direction did the trick better than the k-means on mph/pfx_x/pfx_z approach I typically employ.

Here's the mix to lefty and righty hitters.

          #      LHH     RHH
CH      117     0.5%    10.4%
CU      206    12.0%    16.2%
F2      420    23.5%    33.2%
F4      435    41.9%    30.9%
SL      151    22.1%     9.3%
        1329    217     1112

Ted Lilly's Curve

On the subject of lefty vs. righty pitch selection, Ted Lilly's last start was actually the lowest curveball output of the season. Unless PFX was missing just the curveballs (there were more missing pitches than normal).

What does that have to do with batter handedness? The two key things to look at to understand Lilly's curveball usage appear to be batter hand and change-up usage. The idea of early season/less curves, late season/more curves is still in play.



His change-up is getting a lot more use than it did at any point last year, so it is probably not a time-of-year issue, but, again, not totally ruling that out. It looks like the more lefty batters he faces, the less curves he'll throw, since they simply see lest curves from him than righties do. On the other hand, the number of changes he throws against righties has increased, while the curveball as decreased.

We need to watch this more as the season continues, but it is starting to look like Ted Lilly is relying less on his best known pitch.

Zambrano Almost Out Hits the Pirates

Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs offense put on a show today at PNC Park. Carlos pitched seven innings, allowing six hits, while going 4 for 5 at the plate himself. He allowed just one walk, and struck out six.

PITCHf/x shows Carlos used his sinker sparingly and mostly against lefties, but it was devastating.

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CU	2	0.0	50.0	0.0	0.0	50.0	0.0	50.00	0.00	0.0	50.00	50.00	100.00	50.00
F2	30	30.0	30.0	0.0	23.3	16.7	0.0	40.00	0.00	1.0	50.00	23.33	26.67	31.82
F4	23	39.1	26.1	4.3	17.4	13.0	0.0	34.78	12.50	1.5	52.17	4.35	18.18	50.00
FC	24	33.3	4.2	8.3	29.2	25.0	0.0	62.50	13.33	8.0	50.00	12.50	33.33	6.67
SI	10	10.0	0.0	40.0	20.0	30.0	0.0	90.00	44.44		20.00	20.00	87.50	0.00
SL	20	35.0	25.0	10.0	15.0	15.0	0.0	40.00	25.00	1.4	45.00	20.00	36.36	38.46

cubsfx_type	total	LHH	RHH
CU	2	0	2
F2	30	7	23
F4	23	17	6
FC	24	16	8
SI	10	8	2
SL	20	1	19
	109	49	60

Here's the spin movement chart, catcher's perspective, in inches.



And plate location, in feet.

Jose Valverde is a Tough Man

Valverde just took a line drive off his head, just nicked his mitt, barely, and went off the side of his head and into left field. He went down like a sack of cement.

He's staying in the game. And he just fired two straight strikes right away. And he eventually nailed down the save.

Jason Dubois Back in the Organization

The Cubs signed Jason Dubois to a minor-league deal and assigned him to Iowa. An original Cubs draft pick, in the 14th round in 2000, Dubois last played in the majors in 2005, as a member of the Cleveland Indians.

Since re-signing, Dubois is 2 for 7 with a home run. Since 2006, his OBP is just .302 - AAA. He's probably not a candidate for a spot on the 40-man any time soon.

Lefties On the Bench

The Cubs kick-off a three-game set in Pittsburgh at 6:05 CT, and Lou is stocking the line-up with righties. Edmonds for Johnson was a no brainer, but Kosuke gets an extra day off. Mark DeRosa will cover right-field tonight, and, with the switch-hitting Zambrano on the mound, Duke stands to face no lefties tonight.

Between Marte, Grabow and Burnett, the Pirates have three lefties in the bullpen, while the Cubs will go with a bench of Blanco, Edmonds, Fukudome, Fontenot and Hoffpauir. Fukudome won't sit over the weekend, but the only righty on the bench in that case will be a middle infielder - excluding Blanco or Soto, who would also be available to pinch-hit if push comes to shove.

Here are tonights' line-ups, from Gameday.

Soriano (lf)
Theriot (ss)
Lee (1b)
Ramirez (3b)
Soto (c)
Cedeno (2b)
DeRosa (rf)
Johnson (cf)
Zambrano (p)

The Pirates

Freddie Sanchez (2b)
Nate McClouth (cf)
Jason Bay (lf)
Adam LaRoche (1b)
Xavier Nady (rf)
Doug Mientkiewicz (3b)
Ronny Paulino (c)
Chris Gomez (ss)
Zach Duke (p)

Will Clayton Kershaw Debut at Wrigley?

Updated 5/23 Kershaw will start Sunday in LA, since the Dodgers would rather have him debut at home than in Wrigley, according to mlb.com.

It sure looks like it, according to MLB.com (ht rotoworld.com)

Kershaw faced three Carolina Mudcats, struck out two, then was yanked by manager John Shoemaker, completely healthy. By starting Thursday night, Kershaw is on schedule to start again Tuesday, which happens to be the next time the Dodgers need a fifth starter in Chicago.

Skipping ahead to Tuesday, we actually get to see PFX on the rookie thanks to his pre-season appearance in Dodger Stadium.

On March 30th, Kershaw threw four innings, retiring the first 10 batters before giving up Boston's first hit of the night. His six strike-outs are hint of things to come. The victims were Coco Crisp, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, and two minor leaguers. Unfortunately, the system did not get all his pitches. But there is enough, 37 out of 67, to spot three pitches. First and foremost, he throws hard. Very hard, touching 98 a couple times.

cfx	#	mph	pfx_x	pfx_z	deg	rpm
CH	4	88.3	4.2	9.8	155.9	1354.2
CU	10	77.2	-4.6	-6.2	143.9	838.2
FA	23	96.8	2.1	11.9	170.4	1656.4

That's an 88 mph circle change-up, according to Baseball Prospectus.

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	4	50.0	25.0	0.0	0.0	25.0	0.0	25.00	0.00	2.0	25.00	0.00	33.33	100.00
CU	10	40.0	40.0	0.0	10.0	10.0	0.0	20.00	0.00	1.0	40.00	30.00	0.00	28.57
FA	23	21.7	21.7	8.7	26.1	21.7	0.0	56.52	15.38	1.0	69.57	8.70	28.57	27.78

A Look Back at Adam Wainwright

As noted in Impressive Curves, Adam Wainwright has nasty stuff. Since his curveball has come up again, I decided to look at him again, this time with a full-blown pitch ID.

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	170	33.5	15.9	11.8	15.3	22.4	1.2	50.59	23.26	2.1	38.24	14.12	42.86	27.91
CU	393	42.0	19.3	14.0	12.2	12.5	0.0	38.68	36.18	2.2	42.24	10.18	27.31	38.00
FA	1135	37.2	23.3	3.1	14.1	21.6	0.6	39.38	7.83	1.6	43.79	15.51	25.71	32.08
SL	458	38.9	10.0	17.2	12.7	20.7	0.4	51.09	33.76	3.9	34.06	17.90	39.07	17.32

Adding enough pitches to have 150 more curves in the sample, his numbers moderate a little bit, but not substantially.

Zach Duke f/x

Cubs face Zach Duke tomorrow. I looked at Zach what seems like years ago (last month). Here's a fresh update, now with six pitches identified.

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	168	39.9	6.0	11.3	13.1	29.2	0.6	54.17	20.88	6.7	37.50	11.31	40.95	18.52
CU	203	51.2	20.7	6.9	6.4	14.8	0.0	28.08	24.56	2.5	37.93	12.32	23.02	49.49
F2	406	35.2	18.7	3.2	17.7	24.4	0.5	45.81	6.99	1.9	53.20	16.01	34.74	34.29
F4	271	36.9	15.9	2.2	22.5	21.4	0.7	46.86	4.72	2.3	46.49	14.02	31.72	27.44
FC	29	27.6	6.9	6.9	34.5	24.1	0.0	65.52	10.53	4.0	41.38	10.34	52.94	13.33
SL	90	28.9	4.4	12.2	30.0	22.2	1.1	65.56	18.64	6.5	42.22	18.89	53.85	12.73

Splitting the cutter and the slider is not so cut-and-dry. Consume with a grain of salt. 29 cutters out of 1100+ pitches is hard to feel confident about.



For reference, Cubs' career numbers against Duke. Reed Johnson has a 1225 OPS in 10 plate appearances against Duke, by the way.

Red Sox f/x

Jason Paradise has been posting analysis of Boston pitchers over at one of his new blogs, Red Sox f/x. You can find a nice analysis of Jon Lester's no hitter.

Marmol's Slider/Curve/Slurve

Gameday will ID Marmol's breaking pitch as a slider or a curveball. I can see why some get that CU diagnosis, but I've suspected it is just one pitch. Well, today we actually get some insight, via Carrie Muskat at MLB.com

"I love my slider," Marmol said, with a smile. "I think it's one of the reasons I'm here, because I can throw my slider any time I want for a strike."

He may call it a slider, but it's more of a slurve.

So, there you have it. Slurve. SL works in any case. And he throws it to everyone.

        LHH       RHH
CH      0.4%      0.4%
FA      48%       47%
SL      49%       51%

You've probably seen how well he works both sides of the plate with it. Here's everything at plate crossing - over 670 pitches included.



Let's look at spin movement before we move on.



I'm calling it a Fastball, without trying to crack the two- vs. four-seam question. The slurve is obvious, and the change is too rare a bird to talk about now.

The fastball is impressive, averaging over 94 MPH at release. Probably a four-seamer, but I need to do more work on arm angle questions before I go with that. I'm leaning that way, since it is typically a pitcher's primary fastball.

The slider is an interesting pitch. Relative to the fastball, it's got 13 inches of spin movement in the other direction. The fastball moves, from spin, about 7 inches in on a righty. The slider over 6 inches the other way. From the hitter's perspective, that's a huge distance. The slider also drops 10 inches relative to the fastball. Come and get it.

Is it deceptive? Release points can help get a bit of an idea.



There's enough park-to-park noise in those last two charts to make it a little difficult. Here are the aggregate views. Keep in mind, these are catcher's perspective, the spin movement (PFX) is in inches, the release points and plate locations are in feet.







Put this all together, and you start to see what a hitter sees. A hard fastball and a wicked slider that come from a pretty low point - not a side-armer, but 3/4 and not a tall guy, leans forward etc... - but the pitches look the same until it's probably too late.

Cubs Fall to Astros, Head to Pittsburgh for Day Off

Other than the first inning, and Micah Hoffpauir, there was nothing but silence from the Cubs' bats. Oh well, off to Pittsburgh for a three-spot against the Buccos. Home for Dodgers on Memorial Day.

As usual, the Pirates send three straight lefties to the bump. Paul Maholm gets into the mix this time, following Zach Duke and Phil Dumatrait.

I previewed Dumatrait on Sunday, so I'll just quickly post his spin movement chart and his pitch selection below.



Pitch Mix - Phil Dumatrait - 5/18/08

        LHH     RHH
CH       0%     16%
CU       6%     18%
F2      22%     36%
F4      11%     14%
SL      61%     16%

Only 18 pitches against lefties, 87 against righties. Still, a lot of sliders to lefties. Of all the ID'd pitches I have for Dumatrait, lefties saw sliders only 28% of the time.

He did recently switch to the rotation, so that could impact his pitch selection quite a bit.

His slider rate was the same Sunday as it is overall, but he reduced the number four-seamers against righties, with curves picking up the slack (up from 5% overall).

I'm overdue for a Zach Duke update, which I'll squeeze in tomorrow night.

My Favorite Mike Piazza Memory

Mike Piazza, as you probably know by now, has retired. He'll be in the Hall of Fame in five years, start picking his classmates.

He was a phenomenal hitter who happened to be a catcher. I won't get into his defensive skills here, but I think his reputation with fans departs from his reputation with the guys he caught and his managers.

I saw him play in person several times over the years, but one time sticks out. Spring Training, Vero Beach, sometime around 1993/1994, I think. Piazza hit two line drive home runs off of guys with really high numbers on their backs. You just felt bad for the guys, they had no chance.

That, for sure, is my favorite memory of Mike Piazza. Either that or the press conference.

Cubs at Houston - Rubber Match Against Shawn Chacon

Shawn Chacon's been around, as both a starter and a reliever. He came up in 2001 with the Rockies, and he's also played with the Yankees and the Pirates. Fangraphs lists 5 pitches. I split the four-seam and two-seam, and find more cutters than they do. However, picking each of those three fastballs out is not fool-proof with any approach.



Looks OK in aggregate (with his change-up peeking out from behind the two-seamer), but here's the cloud of spin movement.



Numbers and Outcomes (with a legend so you can try and make sense of my short-hand)

cfx	#	mph	pfx_x	pfx_z	deg	rpm
CH	38	80.7	-4.6	5.4	221.3	842.2
CU	76	75.7	7.8	-3.7	234.2	952.9
F2	139	88.8	-5.3	4.4	228.3	907.7
F4	156	89.9	-7.8	8.3	223.6	1,455.8
FC	185	90.9	-3.2	8.6	200.0	1,195.0
SL	88	82.7	1.7	0.1	196.2	334.6

From left to right:
pitch type,# thrown, miles per hour at release, horizontal spin movement (+ is to catcher's right), vertical spin movement (- is down more than gravity alone),spin angle in degrees and spin rate in revolutions per minute.

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	38	42.1	7.9	10.5	7.9	26.3	5.3	50.00	21.05	5.3	31.58	10.53	34.62	13.33
CU	76	50.0	10.5	7.9	13.2	17.1	1.3	39.47	20.00	4.8	35.53	17.11	20.41	17.95
F2	139	42.4	22.3	4.3	9.4	20.1	1.4	35.25	12.24	1.9	38.85	17.27	21.18	29.87
F4	156	41.0	15.4	6.4	16.0	20.5	0.6	43.59	14.71	2.7	43.59	13.46	30.68	30.68
FC	185	35.7	16.8	6.5	21.1	18.4	1.6	47.57	13.64	2.1	50.27	9.73	29.35	29.09
SL	88	37.5	9.1	23.9	11.4	18.2	0.0	53.41	44.68	4.1	29.55	18.18	43.55	15.79

From left to right, mostly percentages (except # thrown and B:CS):
pitch type,# thrown, balls, called strikes, swinging strikes, foul balls (includes foul tips presently), balls in play, homers, swing rate, whiff rate (per swing), ball-to-called-strike ratio, in strike zone, on corner (basically 3.5 inches extended off the plate between 1.5 and 3.5 ft. above the ground), swing rate on pitches out of zone, take rate on pitches in the zone.

Jose Ascanio Pitch ID's

Quick look at Jose Ascanio - not so sure about all this yet. I believe he's coming in in the bottom of the 7th, so I should get another look tonight.

OK, fixed this, makes sense now....Excel (user) error.

He got into some trouble, but just got out of a jam by whiffing Lance "Not Hot Anymore" Berkman



Aggregates



Numbers

cfx	#	pfx_x	pfx_z	mph	deg	rpm
CH	38	-6.9	1.1	85.9	195.1	889.0
CU	5	8.1	-2.2	78.8	254.3	952.1
F2	37	-7.9	5.2	94.7	236.9	1,283.5
F4	41	-5.7	8.4	95.6	214.2	1,380.4
SL	24	1.9	1.4	83.5	149.7	322.6

Ascanio up, Fox to DL

Right elbow pain for chad.

Cubs-Astros Game 2 - vs. Chris Sampson

As Ted Lilly rings a single off of Brian Moehler, I bring you Chris Sampson and his six pitches.

cfx	#	pfx_x	pfx_z	mph	deg	rpm
CH	75	-5.5	4.3	85.7	231.9	866.8
CU	90	5.9	-5.8	76.8	223.3	919.9
F2	153	-8.3	4.9	88.8	239.0	1,216.8
F4	114	-4.3	8.3	88.8	207.3	1,183.9
FC	80	-0.9	5.6	86.2	189.1	716.7
SL	45	2.7	3.4	83.2	142.8	555.3

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	75	40.0	14.7	4.0	12.0	29.3	0.0	45.33	8.82	2.7	38.67	14.67	34.78	28.21
CU	90	50.0	15.6	4.4	15.6	14.4	0.0	34.44	12.90	3.2	42.22	7.78	23.08	42.22
F2	153	29.4	13.7	2.6	25.5	27.5	1.3	56.86	4.60	2.1	50.33	11.76	40.79	22.34
F4	114	37.7	14.9	3.5	18.4	24.6	0.0	46.49	7.55	2.5	37.72	14.91	28.17	16.67
FC	80	25.0	12.5	11.3	16.3	33.8	1.3	62.50	18.00	2.0	66.25	8.75	33.33	20.00
SL	45	33.3	4.4	13.3	17.8	31.1	0.0	62.22	21.43	7.5	48.89	17.78	39.13	10.34

Cubs Hit the Road - Game 1 @ Hou vs. Brian Moehler

After an impressive 8-2 homestand, the Cubs head to Texas for three against the Astros. A travel day Thursday is followed by a weekend series against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. The Cubs come home Memorial Day to face the Dodgers.

Brian Moehler faces Ted Lilly Monday night. Moehler has six pitches

cfx	#	pfx_x	pfx_z	mph	deg	rpm
CH	51	-6.9	6.6	82.0	226.7	1,134.2
CU	69	2.7	-1.8	79.7	207.6	443.7
F2	105	-6.2	5.7	89.9	227.7	1,090.7
F4	111	-6.2	10.9	91.3	209.6	1,624.2
FC	137	-1.6	9.5	89.5	189.7	1,226.3
SL	89	-0.5	5.5	88.1	185.5	718.5

I don't think any really stand out. Decent command, it appears.

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	51	29.4	17.6	7.8	19.6	21.6	3.9	52.94	14.81	1.7	50.98	17.65	32.00	20.00
CU	69	31.9	11.6	11.6	17.4	27.5	0.0	56.52	20.51	2.8	47.83	8.70	41.67	23.08
F2	105	31.4	21.9	7.6	13.3	24.8	1.0	46.67	16.33	1.4	51.43	14.29	31.37	31.34
F4	111	25.2	25.2	2.7	24.3	22.5	0.0	49.55	5.45	1.0	53.15	14.41	32.69	28.00
FC	137	35.0	18.2	8.8	21.9	16.1	0.0	46.72	18.75	1.9	37.96	23.36	34.12	20.48
SL	89	37.1	12.4	4.5	19.1	27.0	0.0	50.56	8.89	3.0	48.31	8.99	28.26	22.00

Phil Dumatrait Preview

The Cubs take on lefty Phil Dumatrait today at Wrigley. He looks like an overhand thrower.



That's your basic bag'o'tricks - two fastballs, change, slider, occasional curve.

cfx	#	pfx_x	pfx_z	mph	deg	rpm
CH	78	8.3	5.6	83.0	124.4	1,191.3
CU	31	-1.5	-3.5	78.0	158.9	447.6
F2	302	9.1	7.0	91.4	127.9	1,483.2
F4	257	5.7	9.0	91.6	147.9	1,392.3
SL	154	-0.7	1.5	83.2	184.2	334.3

cfx	#	B%	CS%	SS%	F%	X%	HR%	Sw%	Whiff%	B:CS	ISZ%	corner%	SwOOZ%	TaISZ%
CH	78	41.0	12.8	3.8	12.8	28.2	1.3	46.15	8.33	3.2	43.59	12.82	29.55	25.00
CU	31	38.7	12.9	9.7	16.1	22.6	0.0	48.39	20.00	3.0	41.94	12.90	27.78	17.65
F2	302	42.4	17.2	4.6	13.6	20.5	1.7	40.40	11.48	2.5	47.02	8.94	18.75	29.76
F4	257	41.2	20.2	3.9	20.6	13.6	0.4	38.52	10.10	2.0	44.75	12.45	18.31	28.77
SL	154	35.1	12.3	14.3	18.2	19.5	0.6	52.60	27.16	2.8	39.61	10.39	46.24	30.26

Here are the aggregates:



For the Cubs, it's Jason Marquis

Marquis     mph   pfx_x   pfx_z
Change-Up    83      -8      6
Curveball    74       2     -5
Two-Seamer   90     -10      6
Four-Seamer  91      -8      9
Slider       86      -1      4

You'll notice Marquis and Dumatrait are near mirror images, with Marquis being more towards three-quarters.