Chart Observations: SF @ FLA

I volunteered for the long game (was in the office at 7:50 and figured since I was already there, might as well do it to ensure it was completed by 7). In return for doing this, I was able to choose my other chart and decided on this game to see Tim Lincecum and scout some Giants pitchers that I haven't yet seen this year.

• Tim Lincecum is a 5-11, 170 pound righty. The 24 year old has a small frame that can add a lot more muscle. I am not going to go into his mechanics, as if you are reading this blog and actually find it interesting, then you have enough of a background in baseball to know his mechanics. He comes from an over the top release that hides the ball extremely well. His fastball has some fade, though the amount can vary from pitch to pitch. His curveball is a hard breaking 12-6 with great depth and bite. His change shows excellent sink and fade and is actually his best off-speed offering. His slider is thrown every once in awhile in K situations to righties and is a sharp 2-7 offering with great bite. He has plus command of his pitches. He didn't have his best stuff today, but still had a shutout through 7. A true ace and amongst the top 10 pitchers in baseball.

1st: FB (91-94), CB (77), CU (82)

2nd: FB (90-94), CB (76-80), CU (82-85), SL (83)

3rd: FB (91-95), CU (83), SL (81)

4th: FB (90-92), CB (75-77), CU (81-82)

5th: FB (90-93), CB (77-79), CU (82)

6th: FB (90-93), CB (79), CU (81-82)

7th: FB (91-93), CB (73-78), CU (82-83)

8th: FB (90-93)

• Ricky Nolasco made his return to the big leagues and is the same pitcher I saw last start. He comes from a 3/4 release with a classic drop and drive delivery, though it sometimes appears that his arm can lag behind. His fastball has some fade and a little sink. His slider is a 2-7 offering that can hang or show great bite. His curve is a big breaking 12-6 and his splitter shows good bite or fade (and throws it almost exclusively to lefties). His command has been spotty and this has been his main downfall. He will leave some pitches over the middle or just walk you on 4 or 5 pitches. He should be fine and I wouldn't even have sent him to AAA.

1st: FB (90-93), CB (75), SL (81-82), Split (84)

2nd: FB (89-93), CB (75-78), SL (85), Split (84)

3rd: FB (90-92), CB (75-77), Split (85)

4th: FB (89-93), CB (73-75), SL (81-85), Split (86)

5th: FB (89-93), CB (73), SL (82-83), Split (84-85)

6th: FB (90-93), CB (73-77)

7th: FB (90-92), CB (73), SL (81-84), Split (84-85)

• Cristhian Martinez returned from AA and appeared in this game. The righty came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with good sink and fade, a slider that is a somewhat flat 2-7 offering and a change with similar movement to his fastball.

8th: FB (90-92), SL (79-83), CU (85-86)

• Sergio Romo is a 5-11, 190 pound right hander. The 26 year old has a small frame that is maxed out. He comes from a 3/4 release. His fastball shows good fade and sink. His slider is a loopy 2-7 offering that is very similar to Chad Gaudin's and can flash above average, as it stays on the same plane as his fastball until the last 20 feet or so. Solid middle reliever, but is over exposed as anything more then that.

8th: FB (89-90), SL (78-79)

• Kiko Calero may be the most frustrating pitcher for me to chart just because he throws a ton of sliders. He comes from a high 3/4 release and features a 1-8 slider with good bite that he can throw anywhere. His fastball is a 2-seam with some sink and fade and his change is similar, but is below average and was hammered foul by Randy Winn.

9th: SL (79-81), FB (88-89), CU (81)

• Brian Wilson is a 6-1, 195 pound righty. The 27 year old has a medium frame that has room to add more muscle. He comes from a 3/4 release. His fastball shows good fade and a little sink, but it can also be straight. His cutter has good cut and sink and can look like a slider. I am not a big fan of him as a closer and would prefer him as a middle reliever.

9th: FB (93-97), Cut (87-90)

Chart Observations: SD Pitchers

• Josh Geer got the start and came from a high 3/4 release. His fastball is a 2-seamer with excellent fade and sink. His slider is a 2-7 offering that is very loopy. His change shows good fade and sink. Geer likes to pitch backwards, showing sliders to lefties and changes to righties the first time through the order. He will mix in a straight 4-seam, but not too often due to his velocity on his pitches. He lost his command in the 5th and got knocked around a little bit. Geer's best case scenario places him as a 5th starter. He is attempting to be a right handed Jamie Moyer and we all know the success rates those types of emulators have.

1st: FB (83-87), SL (77), CU (75)

2nd: FB (84-87), SL (80), CU (74-76)

3rd: FB (84-87), SL (76-79)

4th: FB (84-87), SL (78-80), CU (74-75)

5th: FB (83-87), SL (77-80), CU (74-75)

• Joe Thatcher is a 6-2, 230 pounder left hander. The 27 year old has a medium frame that is maxed out. He comes from a sidearm, almost submarine release. His fastball has some natural cut as well as some sink. His slider is a sweeping 9-3 offering. His change shows some fade and a little sink. He is a LOOGY wannabe who needs better command and needs to tighten his slider to be consistently successful against lefties.

6th: FB (86-89), SL (76-77), CU (77)

• Greg Burke came from a high 3/4 release and showed a fastball with good fade and sink, a solid 2-7 slider and a change with similar movement to his fastball.

7th: FB (90-93), SL (83-85), CU (85)

• Cla Meredith is a 26 year old who stands 6-0, 190. The right hander has a medium frame that can add a little more muscle. He is a sidearmer and featured a fastball with good fade and sink and a sweeping 3-9, 3-8 type slider with decent bite. PETCO forgives a lot of his mistakes and is your protypical ROOGY.

8th: FB (85-86), SL (78-80)

• Luis Perdomo is a 25 year old who stands 6-0, 170. The diminuitive righty has a medium frame that can add a lot more muscle. He comes from a high 3/4 release with a max effort delievery. His fastball shows some fade and a little sink and is a pretty good looking 2-seamer. The slider is a sharp 2-7 that can be above average or can be below average, where it is flat. I like this kid and think he can be a solid middle reliever in the bigs. He needs to improve his command and refine his slider.

9th: FB (91-94), SL (86-89)

• Heath Bell comes from an over the top release with a fastball that has a little fade and natural sink and a big breaking 12-6 curve. His fastball's fade is late and allows him to avoid the barrel of the bat consistently.

10th: FB (90-95), CB (80-82)

11th: FB (93-95), CB (81-83)

• Edward Mujica is Bell's primary set-up man and came from a 3/4, almost high 3/4 release. His fastball shows good fade while his slider is a 2-7 pitch with good late bite and his splitter shows good fade and dive.

12th: FB (92-93), Split (86)

13th: FB (92-95), Split (88), SL (80-83)

• Luke Gregerson came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some fade and sink and a sharp 2-7 slider that generates a ton of swings and misses. I am starting to come around to the sinker/slider reliever and he has the ability to continue to succeed in the majors as a set-up man down the line.

14th: FB (89-91), SL (81-84)

15th: FB (89-90), SL (78-83)

• Chad Gaudin's day was up for bullpen work I guess and he got 2 innings in. The 5-10, 190 pound righty has a small frame that can add a little bit more muscle (maybe 5 pounds). The 26 year old comes from a 3/4 release. His fastball has some fade and sink and his change moves the same way. Gaudin's slider is a loopy 3-8 offering that can be sharp and flashes as above average. I think he is a better fit for the pen, but he can eat innings as a # 5 starter.

16th: FB (89-91), SL (76-79), CU (86)

17th: FB (88-93), SL (79-81), CU (83-86)

Josh Wilson also pitched (and took the loss) and he was FB-CB-CU, but why would you care?

Chart Observations: ARI Pitchers

Charted the 18 inning game today. Will talk about the D-Backs pitchers, then will have another post breaking down the Padres pitchers.

• Dan Haren is a 6-5, 215 pound right hander. The 28 year old has a big frame that can get up to 230 comfortably if he so desires. He comes from an over the top release and pauses at the balance point before accelerating through. His fastball is a 4-seam with some fade and a little sink. His curveball is a good 12-6 pitch with good downward movement. His splitter shows some fade and sink and served as his out pitch in this game. His cutter has come cut and sink and he appears to be throwing this pitch much more then last year. His cutter will flash slider movement. Not many pitchers can claim to have plus command, but Haren can as he was able to hit spots consistently with all his pitches. A strong # 2 starter.

1st: FB (91-92), CB (78-80), Split (84-86), Cut (87)

2nd: FB(91-92), CB (79), Split (85-86), Cut (87-89)

3rd: FB (90-93), CB (79), Split (85-86), Cut (87-88)

4th: FB (89-91), CB (79), Split (85-86)

5th: FB (89-92), CB (77-78), Split (86), Cut (85-87)

6th: FB (90-91), CB (78-79), Cut (85-86)

7th: FB (89-92), CB (77-80), Split (84-86), Cut (85)

• Tony Pena attacked hitters from a 3/4 release. His fastball is a straight 4-seam and he also throws a hard slider that can be flat or can be a sharp 2-7 offering. Potential closer, but he needs to develop more consistency with his slider and better command.

8th: FB (92-96), SL (87-90)

• Juan Gutierrez finally had a game finishing opportunity and failed. The righty came from a high 3/4 release. His fastball is a 4-seam with some fade, his change shows good fade and sink but is just average and he throws a curve (a hard 12-6) and a slider that is just a harder curve and has slightly more horizontal movement then his curve.

9th: FB (94-97), CB (81), SL (83-84), CU (82-84)

• Chad Qualls allowed a home run to David Eckstein of all people to bring this game on. The 6-5, 220 pounder has a big frame that is maxed out. The 30 year old righty coems at you from a 3/4 release. His fastball shows excellent fade and sink and is a plus pitch. His slider is a sharp 2-7 offering with good bite and he is a solid closer, though he probably profiles better as a durable middle reliever to get you out of jams in the 6th-8th innings with his sinker.

9th: FB (91-94), SL (85-87)

• Jon Rauch came from an over the top release. His fastball is a 4-seam with natural sink. His slider is a sharp 1-7 offering with more downward movement then side to side. His change is a straight change that wasn't very impressive and his curve is a big breaking 12-6.

10th: FB (90-93), SL (83-86), CB (75-76), CU (86)

• Esmerling Vasquez came from a 3/4 release with a fastball that shows some good fade and sink, a change with similar movement and a slider that was a sharp, late breaking 3-8 offering. Good upside, but little command right now.

11th: FB (93-98), SL (79-82), CU (83-84)

12th: FB (93-97), SL (78-82), CU (84-88)

• Clay Zavada came from a 3/4 to high 3/4 release and threw pitches from both release points. The lefty showed a fastball with some fade, a change with some sink and a little fade, a curve that is an 11-4 offering with okay depth and a cutter that had a little sink and was his main weapon against lefties.

13th: FB (88-91), CU (78-83), CB (72), Cut (84)

14th: FB (88-89), CU (80-83), CB (72), Cut (83-84)

15th: FB (87-89), CU (78-82), CB (72-74), Cut (82-83)

• Leo Rosales got the win. He comes from an over the top release with a fastball that shows good fade and sink, a changeup with similar movement and a slider that is a 12-6 offering with some bite but can just hang.

15th: FB (91), CU (81)

16th: FB (88), CU (79), SL (79-84)

17th: FB (87-90), CU (80-82), SL (79-83)

18th: FB (88-91), CU (79), SL (79-83)

The Arizona relievers combined to allow zero hits in the final NINE innings of this game and San Diego never put any real good swings on any pitches. There offense is not good outside of Adrian Gonzalez.