BAL @ OAK

• Vin Mazzaro attacked from a 3/4 release and once again looked very good, shutting out the Orioles for 7 and 1/3. The right hander's sink has some fade and sink and is a hard sinker, one that appears to be like hitting a brick. His slider is an inconsistent 2-7 offering that can be flat, loopy or sharp. He pounds the outside corner with his sinker and loves to backdoor pitches to his gloveside. His curveball is a 2-7 offering that is a bigger break then his slider. He looks pretty good to be a solid # 3 starter for a longtime.

1st: FB (93-95), SL (83), CU (87-88)

2nd: FB (90-94), SL (86-87), CU (86)

3rd: FB (92-95), SL (84-87)

4th: FB (91-95), SL (86), CB (81)

5th: FB (91-94), SL (87), CB (81-83)

6th: FB (90-94), SL (83-87), CU (88)

7th: FB (92-93), SL (83-85), CU (86), CB (80)

8th: FB (90-93), SL (85-86)

• Rich Hill opposed him. The 6-5, 205 pounder has a big frame that has room to add a lot more muscle. The 29 year old lefty comes at you from a high 3/4 release. His curveball is a 10-4 big breaker that he threw a lot. It has good depth and flashes plus and is consistently an above average offering. His fastball is a 4-seam with a litle run and sink and its velocity plays up due to his slow breaking ball. His change has some fade and a little sink. He lasted all of 2/3 innings, battling some control issues. He couldn't throw his fastball or curve for strikes consistently and most of his fastballs missed gloveside and down while his curves were up or up and armside. He got squeezed a little bit and he had a quick leash on him (only faced 8 hitters and had the 8th, Rajai Davis, struck out two different times on CB's that the umpire just couldn't pull the trigger on). I still like him as a # 4 starter, but his command is his bug-a-boo and he will need to find a way to adjust.

1st: FB (87-90), CB (70-73), CU (82)

• Brian Bass was a god send for the Orioles today. The righty showed a fastball with some fade and sink, a 2-7 slider with some late bite and a big breaking 12-6 curveball from a 3/4 release. He is a very fast worker on the mound and threw 4 and 1/3 scoreless.

1st: FB (92-94), SL (86)

2nd: FB (92-94), CB (78-80)

3rd: FB (92-94), SL (86), CB (78)

4th: FB (92-93), SL (86)

5th: FB (91-94), SL (85), CB (79)

• Matt Albers attacked from a 3/4 release with a curveball that was a 1-7 tpe pitch with good depth and a fastball with some fade and some sink. Seems like your typical middle reliever to me.

6th: FB (93-95), CB (79-80)

7th: FB (92-95), CB (80)

• Jim Johnson came from an over the top release. His fastball is a 4-seam with some natural downward movement that he generates from getting a good downhill plane for his pitches. His change shows some fade and sink. The 1 curveball he threw was terrible and a hanger at the eyes.

8th: FB (94-96), CB (80), CU (87)

• Michael Wuertz comes from an over the top release with a straight 4-seam fastball and a sharp, late breaking slider with good bite that is a 2-7 offering. He battled his fastball command a little in this outing and profiles best as a middle reliever.

8th: FB (93-94), SL (88-89)

• Craig Breslow came from a high 3/4 release and got out Nick Markakis, who laced one of his sliders to center. His slider is a 11-4 type pitch.

8th: SL (82-85)

• Andrew Bailey is a legit closer. The right hander attacks from an over the top release. I wasn't sure what to think of him, but I have decided he is a frontline closer for a contender. He throws a 4-seam fastball with some fade, an exceptionally hard cutter that can flash slider like movement and a big breaking 12-6 curveball that has good depth.

9th: FB (94-97), Cut (88-90), CB (78-80)

• Gregorio Petit is a 5-10, 200 pound 24 year old. The righty thrower/hitter has a small frame that is maxed out. He has a straight-on stance with the bat horizonal just above his shoulder and has a little bit of a bat tap. He shows a short swing. His trigger is moving back on his back leg and cocking the bat. He is an utility infielder, as he will never have much power and doesn't look to be anything amazingly special with the glove.
• Matt Wieters is a big (for a catcher), 6-5, 230. The switch hitter/righty thrower has a big frame that can add a lot more muscle, though he may not want to due to losing mobility behind the plate. The 23 year old has a fairly straight up stance with a little bat wiggle. He has a big leg kick as his trigger with a cocking of the bat. He has plus raw power and has shown an ability to hit for average at his previous minor league stops, but he may take a little bit. His bat seemed slow and he was unsure of his plan of attack when in the box. He seems like he is subsceptible at this stage to pitchers that can mix speeds well or those that have power fastballs. Wieters has a strong arm and was very quick on the one stolen base on him in this game (1.7) and they stole it on the pitcher (Hill was 1.6 to the plate on a curveball). I do wonder some about his game calling, but he is a rookie and will have those moments. Give him a couple of years and he should reach his potential by then, which is probably right around Brian McCann with more average and a little better behind the plate.
• Oscar Salazar is a 6-0, 195 pound 30 year old. The righty hitter/thrower has a medium frame that can add a little more muscle. He appears to lunge at the ball in a straight-on stance with a little crouch. He holds the bat in front of him about even with his back shoulder. He has mashed at AAA, but I don't see how he hits home runs with his stance. His power (my assumption) is pull, as he looks like he could get his whole body into inside pitches. Another utility player, he probably fits better with an NL team as an occasional pinch hitter and spelling players at various positions (played 1B in this game).

2 charts and a baseball game tomorrow.