Chart Observations: DET @ CHA

• Justin Verlander is a 6-5, 225 pound righty. The 26 year old has a big frame that can add a little more muscle (235 maybe, 230 easy). He comes from a high 3/4 release. He generates easy velocity from a nice, clean drop and drive delivery. His fastball shows above average fade and some sink on occasion. His curveball is a power 12-6 pitch that is a knee buckler with great depth and bite. His change moves like his fastball, but with a little more sink. He has added a SL that is extremely inconsistent, being anywhere from below average to above average. It can be a sharp 2-7 offering, but he can also bury it in the dirt with no chance of having a hitter swing or leave a spinner in the middle of the plate. A legitimate ace, Verlander has above average command and looks to be a good bet to keep this level of pitching going for awhile.

NOTE: The following pitches per inning should not be seen by hitters with faint hearts. Last pitch of the game (about # 120) was a 100 mile per hour fastball.

1st: FB (93-97), CB (82), SL (88)

2nd: FB (93-97), CU (84)

3rd: FB (94-97), CB (79-82), CU (83-84)

4th: FB (94-98), CB (80-84), CU (85)

5th: FB (96-98), CB (81-83), SL (90), CU (86)

6th: FB (97-100), CB (79-84), SL (87-94)

7th: FB (93-98), CB (78-81), SL (89), CU (83)

8th: FB (93-98), CB (82-84)

9th: FB (96-100), CB (83)

Jermaine Dye's Hell: Dye came up in the 6th and saw 6 fastballs (with the slowest being 99, 2 at 100) and 2 sliders (at 93 and 94 respectively). He struck out looking at a 100 mph fastball.

• John Danks is a 6-1, 205 pound lefty. The 24 year old has a medium frame that can add a little more muscle. He comes from a high 3/4 release. His fastball is a 4-seam with some late fade and sink. His change has a little fade and good sink and looks like a fastball out of his hand. His cutter shows good cut and shows biting action. Has slider (10-5) movement at times with good late action. His curve is a big, late breaking 11-5 offering with good depth that he didn't throw much. He does a good job holding runners and will mix in a slide step. Was primarily FB-CU the 1st time through the order and then began to mix in more cutters. He has plus command. Danks is very close to being a legimiate # 1 and just needs to pitch a little more to the corners then he did in this game.

1st: FB (91-94), CU (84-86)

2nd: FB (91-93), CU (84-85), Cut (87-88), CB (78)

3rd: FB (91-93), Cut (86)

4th: FB (92-93), CU (84), Cut (86)

5th: FB (91-92), CU (82), Cut (86-88), CB (77)

6th: FB (91-92), Cut (86-87), CB (77-79)

7th: FB (91-93), CU (83-84), Cut (86-89)

8th: FB (90-91), Cut (86)

• Octavio Dotel is a 6-0, 215 pound righty. The 35 year old has a medium frame that is maxed out. He comes from a 3/4 release with a fastball with some fade and sink and his slider is a sweeping 3-8 offering. Very good middle reliever who can spot set-up and close.

8th: FB (92)

9th: FB (92-93), SL (80-83)

• Gordon Beckham is a 6-0, 190 pounder. The 22 year old is a righty thrower/hitter. He has a medium frame that can add more muscle and should be able to get up to at least 205. His trigger is a step with a cocking of the bat with a hip turn towards the catcher. His swing can get long at times. He has a slightly above average arm and above average speed. I talked with the scout who drafted him and he compared him to Michael Young and I think that is a very valid comparison. He should be a .280-.300 hitter with 20-25 home runs annually as he settles in.
• Dane Sardinha is a 6-0, 215 pound back-up catcher. The 30 year old has a medium frame that is maxed out. He takes a big leg kick and cocks his bat as his trigger. He holds the bat close to his body. Playing to his potential, which is an emergency catcher who will spend most of his time in AAA.

Chart Observations: PHI @ NYM

• Cole Hamels is a 6-3, 190 pound lefty. The 25 year old has a medium to big frame that has room to add a lot more muscle. He comes from an over the top release that generates a good downhill plane for his pitches. His fastball has some natural sink and run, though it will also flash some fade at times. His change looks like a fastball out of his hand and has excellent sink and some run (though he threw it way too much in this game). His curveball is an 11-5 offering with good depth. He will throw all his pitches to any hitter and any count. Hamels has plus command, but was working in the middle of the plate a little too often. I think Hamels is a # 2 right now (cue the debate again) and I want to see him utilize his above average curve more before I call him a legitimate ace.

1st: FB (88-93), CU (79-82), CB (76)

2nd: FB (89-92), CU (79-82)

3rd: FB (87-93), CU (79-83), CB (75)

4th: FB (88-91), CU (78-82)

5th: FB (85-90), CU (76-81), CB (74-75)

• Mike Pelfrey comes from a 3/4 release. He has a 2-seam sinker that shows good fade and sink and will mix in a rare straight 4-seam fastball. His slider is a 2-7 offering with decent bite. It can be very inconsistent and hang at times. His curveball is a bigger breaking SL and is a 1-7 type pitch. His changeup moves like his fastball, just slower. His command continues to be above average and he is a # 4 right now with the ability to develop into a 3 if he can tighten his slider.

1st: FB (92-94)

2nd: FB (91-94), SL (84-86)

3rd: FB (91-94), SL (85), CB (77)

4th: FB (92-94), SL (87), CU (83-84)

5th: FB (93-95), SL (81-85)

6th: FB (92-94), SL (86), CU (83)

7th: FB (91-93), CB (76)

• Jack Taschner is a 6-3, 205 pound lefty. The 31 year old has a medium to big frame that can add a little more muscle. He comes from a high 3/4 release. He has some wrist pronation when he brings the ball back at the bottom of his arm circle. His fastball is a 4-seam with some run. his slider is a sharp 10-4 wtih good bite and his change is straight with a little sink and run. Best fit is as a LOOGY, though he wouldn't kill you every once in awhile throwing a full inning.

6th: FB (90-91), SL (82-84), CU (83-84)

• Chad Durbin comes from a high 3/4 release and showed a 2-seam fastball with good fade and sink and a cutter with good cut that flashed some sink.

7th: FB (89-92), Cut (87-89)

• Scott Eyre came from a high 3/4 release and showed a straight 4-seam fastball with a little run and a slurvy 11-4 slider with decent bite.

7th: FB (90-92), SL (82)

• Sean Green is a 6-6, 225 pound right hander. The 30 year old has a big frame that can add more muscle, especially in the lower half. The sidearmer shows a fastball with good fade and sink, a 3-8 sweeping slider with some bite and a change with more sink then his fastball. Solid ROOGY.

7th: FB (88-91), SL (72-73), CU (82-83)

• J.C. Romero came from a high 3/4 release and showed a 4-seam fastball with some run, a slurvy 11-4 slider and a change with good sink and fade. He will add and subtract from his SL, as he has a loopy one for strikes and a sharp one for strikeouts.

8th: FB (88-93), SL (75-83), CU (81-82)

• Pedro Feliciano is a sidearmer who showed a fastball with some sink and run and a cutter with good cut and a little sink.

8th: FB (87-89), Cut (82-84)

• Francisco Rodriguez comes from an over the top release and showed a 4-seam fastball with some sink and run. His curveball is a sharp, late-breaking 2-7 offering while his change has excellent fade and sink.

9th: FB (92-95), CB (79-81), CU (85)

10th: FB (91-94), CB (80-81), CU (85)

• Chan Ho Park comes from a 3/4 release and showed a straight 4-seam fastball, a 2-seam that has good fade and sink, a 12-6 curveball with okay depth, a 2-7 slider with okay bite, a change with good fade and sink and a cutter with decent cut.

9th: FB (92-95), SL (83-85), CB (77-80), CU (83), Cut (88)

10th: FB (91-93), SL (82-87), CB (77), CU (82), Cut (88)

• Bobby Parnell took the loss after allowing a home run to Chase Utley. He came from a high 3/4 release and showed a straight 4-seam fastball and a loopy 1-8 slider.

11th: FB (95-100), SL (87-89)

• Ryan Madson came from an over the top release and showed a straight 4-seam fastball, a change with late fade and sink and a cutter with decent cut and a little sink.

11th: FB (94-97), CU (83-85), Cut (92)