Score Observations (7/4 ARI @ COL): ARI Pitchers

1) Yusmeiro Petit: 55 pitches. 9 strikes swinging. 4 on Fastballs (1st, 2 in 2nd, 3rd), Slider (1st), 2 on Curves (2nd, 3rd), 2 on Changes (1st, 3rd)

• I have no idea how he generated that many swings and misses. Petit is a 6-1, 255 pound righty that has a maxed out medium frame with some bad weight in the mid section. The 24 year old comes from an over the top release. His fastball is a 2-seam with a little run and sink in on righties. His change has good sink and fade from lefties. His curve is a 12-6 pitch with good depth. His slider is a 2-7 pitch with some bite. He will throw 2-0 changes and will throw it to righties. Petit is a back of the rotation starter at best and needs to improve his command to reach that modest ceiling.

1st: FB (86-88), CB (74-76), SL (81-84), CU (78)

2nd: FB (86-88), CB (73-76), SL (80-82), CU (79)

3rd: FB (85-89), CB (75-76), SL (80-81), CU (78-79)

2) Blaine Boyer: 26 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Fastball (4th)

• The Blaine Boyer scenic tour has traveled to the west coast now. The 6-3, 215 pound righty has a medium frame that can add a little more muscle. The 27 year old comes from a 3/4 release. His fastball has some run in on righties with sink. His slider is a 2-7 pitch with some bite and his cutter has some cut. Still think he is a solid middle reliever, but he keeps making me look stupid.

4th: FB (92-96)

5th: FB (93-96), SL (80-83), Cut (86)

3) Juan Gutierrez: 31 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. Fastball (6th) and Slider (6th)

• Gutierrez comes from an over the top release and shows a pretty straight 4-seam fastball, a 12-6 curve with okay bite and a sharp 2-7 slider.

6th: FB (95-97), CB (80), SL (84-86)

7th: FB (93-95), CB (80-82), SL (82-85)

4) Scott Schoeneweis: 6 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Fastball

• He (I don't feel like trying to spell his name again) came from a 3/4 release with a fastball with some run in on rightesi and sharp 10-4 slider with good bite.

7th: FB (88-90), SL (80-83)

5) Clay Zavada: 28 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Changeup

• Zavada came from a high 3/4 release and showed a straight 4-seam fastball, a change with good fade from righties with sink and a big breaking 11-5 curve with good depth. Battled his command this outing.

8th: FB (87-90), CU (79-83), CB (72)

6) Tony Pena: 5 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Slider

• Pena came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with some run in on righties and a hard 2-7 slider with good bite.

8th: FB (95-96), SL (88-90)

7) Chad Qualls: 16 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• Qualls came from a high 3/4 release and showed a fastball with excellent run in on righties and a sharp 2-7 slider with good bite.

8th: SL (86-87)

9th: FB (90-93), SL (84-88)

ARI @ CIN

1) Dan Haren: 111 pitches. 11 strikes swinging. Fastball (3rd), Curveball (3rd), 4 on Cutters (3rd, 5th, 2 in 7th), 5 on Splitters (1st, 2 in 4th, 5th, 6th)

• Haren comes from an over the top release with a 2-seam fastball that some sink and run in on righties, a cutter with some solid cut and a little sink, a split with above average dive that serves as his out pitch and a 12-7 curveball that has good depth, but has flattened out a little lately. He will also throw the occasional straight 4-seam. He will throw any pitch in any count and has plus-plus command of all his offerings, which is amazing.

1st: FB (91-93), CB (80), Split (87-89), Cut (87)

2nd: FB (90-94), CB (79-81), Cut (86-89)

3rd: FB (91-95), CB (79), Cut (87)

4th: FB (89-93), CB (78-79), Split (86), Cut (85-88)

5th: FB (91), CB (78-79), Split (85-87), Cut (86-87)

6th: FB (90-92), CB (78-79), Split (87), Cut (85-86)

7th: FB (89-92), CB (80), Cut (84-88)

2) Bronson Arroyo: 105 pitches. 6 strikes swinging. Fastball (3rd), 2 on Sliders (4th, 6th), Curveball (6th), Changeup (6th), Cutter (2nd)

• Arroyo is a 6-5, 195 pound righty. The 32 year old has a big frame that can add a lot more muscle. He comes from a 3/4, almost high 3/4 release and will throw pitches anywhere from sidearm to high 3/4. He has a very quiet windup with his patented flamingo kick. His fastball is a 2-seam with good sink and fade, though he will mix in a straight 4-seam on occasion. His changeup has good sink and fade from lefties. His slider is a 2-7 pitch with good bite and sink. He will throw frisbee sliders from sidearm and even threw 1 fastball from sidearm. His cutter has some cut, but not a ton. His curveball is a 12-7 offering with solid bite and good depth. You would think throwing every pitch known to man he would have an out pitch, but none of his pitches are very spectacular. He battled his command from hitter to hitter and I would say he is a # 4 starter.

1st: FB (90-91), SL (76-77), CU (80-84)

2nd: FB (88-90), Cut (84-86), CB (72-74), CU (77-83), Frisbee SL (70-74)

3rd: FB (80-90, 80 to Haren when behind in the count), Cut (87), SL (74-77), CU (78), F-SL (78)

4th: FB (87-90), Cut (84-87), CB (71-75), CU (84-85), SL (75-77)

5th: FB (87-90), Cut (89), CB (70-72), CU (80-82), SL (77-80)

6th: FB (87-90), CB (69-74), CU (80-84), SL (77)

3) Carlos Fisher: 29 pitches. 3 strikes swinging. 2 on Fastballs (6th, 7th) and Slider (6th)

• Fisher comes from an over the top release with a fastball that has a little run in on righties, but is straight and his slider is a 2-7 pitch with good bite. His cutter has some cut, but can sometime be tough to see with the naked eye.

6th: FB (94-96), SL (82-84), Cut (90-92)

7th: FB (94-97), SL (81-84), Cut (89-93)

4) Jared Burton: 23 pitches. 6 strikes swinging. 4 on Sliders, 2 on Cutters.

• Burton came from an over the top release and showed a cutter with solid cut, a fastball with some run in on righties and some sink and a hard change that has a little fade from lefties.

8th: Cut (87-89), CU (85), SL (82-83), FB (90-92)

5) Tony Pena: 16 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• Pena came from an over the top release and showed a straight 4-seam and a sharp 2-7 slider with solid bite. His command continues to be a question mark and is extremely erratic from his max effort delivery.

8th: FB (94-96), SL (87-89)

6) Scott Schoeneweis: 1 pitch. No, he hit it.

• Scho comes from a high 3/4 release and threw a straight 4-seam fastball to Joey Votto. He hit it hard for a single.

8th: FB (89)

7) Jon Rauch: 9 pitches. 2 strikes swinging.

• Rauch comes from an over the top release with a 2-seam fastball with some sink, a 2-7 slider with good bite. He will also throw a straight 4-seam and mix in a cutter with some cut.

8th: FB (93-94), SL (85), Cut (88-89)

8) Josh Roenicke: 13 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Fastball

• Roenicke comes from an over the top release and shows a straight 4-seam fastball, a power 12-6 curve (not a slider as I originally had considered, thanks BA Prospect Handbook) and a cutter with some cut and some sink. Watch this kid, he has the looks of a strong major league reliever.

9th: FB (92-95), Cut (86-88), CB (78-79)

9) Chad Qualls: 10 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Slider

• Qualls comes from a 3/4 release and shows a fastball with excellent run in on righties and some sink and a 2-7 slider with good bite.

9th: FB (92-94), SL (85-88)

• Danny Richar was once the jewel of the Diamondbacks system and now finds himself as a bench player for the Reds. The 6-1, 195 pound lefty hitter, righty swinger has a medium frame that can add a little more muscle. The 26 year old has a crouched stance that is similar to Phillips (though not in hand placement). He has a little bat wiggle and doesn't do much for a trigger, just cocking the bat. He is a gap to gap hitter who doesn't show much power. He showed slightly above average speed and looks to have the upside of that of a utilityman, as he just won't have the power or pitch recognition to play everyday.

Chart Observations: ARI @ KC

• Dan Haren came from an over the top release. His fastball had good run and some sink. His split had solid diving action and is his out pitch. His cutter shows some cut and sink and his curveball was slurvy and inconsistent and was a 1-8 pitch. His fastball was the best I have seen it, but this also caused his curve to flatten out. Borderline ace.

1st: FB (91-92), Split (89)

2nd: Gameday Issues

3rd: FB (90-94), CB (80-81), Split (87), Cut (86-89)

4th: FB (92-94), CB (78-81), Split (86), Cut (89)

5th: FB (90-92)

6th: FB (91-95), CB (79-80), Split (86-87), Cut (86-91)

7th: FB (89-92), CB (79), Split (86)

• Luke Hochevar is a 6-5, 210 pound righty. The 25 year old has a big frame that can get up to at least 225. He comes from a 3/4 release with a drop and drive delivery. His fastball is a sinker with some run and sink. His slider is a 2-7 pitch with above average bite and serves as his out pitch. His curveball is a big breaking 12-6 with good depth. His change has some good fade and sink. Will throw the curve from a high 3/4, almost over the top release and believe he tips the pitch with this. Hochevar generates very few swings and misses and operates on a small margin of error. He has the tools to be a good # 3, but he is still struggling with his command. I think he is a # 5 right now.

1st: FB (90-93), SL (82-85)

2nd: FB (88-92), SL (82-83), CB (76)

3rd: Gameday Issues

4th: FB (90-93), SL (83-84), CB (73-76)

5th: FB (91), CB (73)

• Jamey Wright is a 6-5, 225 pound righty. The 34 year old has a big frame that can add more muscle. He comes from a high 3/4, almost over the top release. His fastball shows good run and a little sink. His curveball is a 1-7 with good depth and can be a strikeout pitch. His splitter has a little dive and his cutter has some cut, but it can flatten out. His command can be inconsistent. Solid middle reliever.

5th: FB (88-94), Cut (89), CB (74-79), Split (86)

• Juan Cruz is a 6-2, 165 pound righty. The 30 year old has a medium frame that can add a lot more muscle, but it looks the exact same as it did when he first debuted so I wouldn't count on it. He comes from a 3/4 release. His fastball shows good run. His slider is a 2-7 with good bite. He has added a cutter and that had some cut to it, but it was inconsistent. He only threw 1 slider and the rest of his pitches were FB/Cut.

6th: FB (94-97), Cut (89-91), SL (82)

7th: FB (91-96), Cut (89-91)

• Ron Mahay comes from a high 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run, a splitter that had a little sink, but was fairly straight and a 11-4 slider with good bite.

8th: FB (91-92), SL (82-83), Split (84-87)

• Clay Zavada came from a high 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run, a straight change and a 10-4 cutter with some bite.

8th: FB (87-90), CU (79-82), Cut (81)

• Joakim Soria is a 6-3, 205 pound righty. The 25 year old has a medium to big frame that can get up to at least 215. He comes from a 3/4 release. His fastball has some run. His curveball is a big breaking 12-6 with good depth. His change has excellent late sink and fade and he will throw it to righties. Above average closer who is beginning to have some durability questions.

9th: FB (90-91), CB (67), CU (84-86)

• Chad Qualls comes from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with excellent run and sink and a 2-7 slider with excellent bite. He is an above average closer as well, as his stuff is very impressive.

9th: FB (92-94), SL (84-89)

• Luis Hernandez is a 5-10, 180 pound 24 year old. The switch hitter, righty thrower has a small frame that is maxed out. From the righty side, he has a very slightly open stance with a little bat wiggle and a trigger of a double step and a cocking of the bat. More of a gap hitter and can play anywhere on the field. The problem is the Royals have quite a few of these and he doesn't project to be much of a hitter. Organizational player.
• Tug Hulett is a 5-10, 185 pound 26 year old. The lefty hitter, righty thrower has a small frame that can add a touch more muscle. He has a slightly open stance and stands straight up with the bat 45 degrees over his shoulder. His trigger is a moderate leg kick and a cocking of the bat. Similar to Hernandez but doesn't appear to be as fast, but has a little more power. Hulett also may not be able to handle shortstop. He is a 4-A player.

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.

ARI @ ATL

• Kenshin Kawakami is another over hyped Japanese pitcher in my opinion. Kawakami attacked guys with a fastball at 86-91, a curveball at 68-73, a cutter at 85-89 and a splitter at 83-86. Kawakami's curveball is his only real plus pitch. However, what he is learning is that it is too slow to be an out pitch here in the U.S. Hitters here are fooled by it, but they recover in time to just flick their wrist and foul it off. Kawakami's fastball and splitter are each average offerings and his cutter is below average and barely cuts. His command is also just average. He comes from a high 3/4 release point and has the classic Japanese delivery with a pause right before the breaking of the hands. His upside to me is that of a back of the rotation starter.
• Max Scherzer opposed him and represented the other end of the spectrum. Scherzer has great stuff (tonight he was 90-96 with the fastball, though settled in at 92-93 after the 3rd inning, a slider at 85-88 and a changeup at 81-85) but can never pitch out of the 6th inning due to running up high pitch counts. Scherzer's command is above average, but he appears to get into moments where he loses it for a batter or two and allows them to reach. His fastball is plus, his slider is plus and his changeup flashes plus, though he has little command of the change. His mechanics also worry me, as he features a violent head jerk and he puts a lot of pressure on his throwing shoulder due to his arm action. Very good pitcher (likely a # 2 for a contender once he gains some more command), but he will always be a constant injury risk (but, every pitcher is.).
• James Parr is now a reliever for the Braves. He sat at 87-92 with his fastball, 80-82 with his changeup, 73-79 with his curveball and 80 at the 1 slider he threw. It is also worth noting he was 88-89 in his 2nd inning of work and lost velocity. I mention this because he is a borderline major league reliever as a 1 inning guy but has a chance to be a decent long man. He comes from a straight over the top release, and like every other pitcher that has that release, he has a plus curveball. His changeup is above average, but his fastball is just average. His command is above average right now, though it can jump around from plus plus to average in the course of an appearance. I just don't see a major leaguer here. I see a guy who will be on the bus to Gwinnett and back fairly often. Now, if he can maintain his velocity in the low 90's in multiple inning spurts, then he may stick in a pen.
• Scott Schoeneweis is your typical LOOGY, featuring a fastball at 88-90 and a slider at 80-82. Got out 2 of the 3 guys he faced. Solid guy in a pen.
• Juan Gutierrez has bounced back from a terrible year at AAA last year to profile fairly well as a reliever. He showed a fastball at 93 today (only threw 2 pitches), but I have seen him flash a slider and curveball as above average. His command will always be a question that he needs to prove and if he can answer it, he profiles very well as a Tony Pena type reliever.
• Jeff Bennett showed some command issues tonight and featured a fastball at 91-94 and a slider at 82-87. He appeared to be nibbling instead of attacking hitters. Both his fastball and slider are just average pitches from a 1-inning reliever, but he was typically employed as a multi-inning guy last year where his pitches have more value. Bennett may always have command issues, or he may just be breaking down from last year's work, but neither of those 2 options is very good. Bennett profiles well as a reliever to use when the starter gets pummelled when he has command. If he doesn't have command? You just saw it. That wasn't that valuable (1 IP, 4 BB)
• Esmerling Vasquez is an intriguing pitcher. He features a fastball at 92-97, a slider at 82 and a changeup at 84-88. Only his fastball is truly plus, while his slider and changeup are currently average. He sports average command, but is a pitcher to watch. The 25 year old has an explosive arm and his slider shows some potential as an out pitch. I believe that I would rather have my young (or somewhat young) arms take their lumps in the majors as opposed to the PCL and he could turn it around. You never know when the light will flick on for command. He is a guy that could be a future closer (though there is a TON of projection to that) and will likely be a solid middle reliever for a contender.
• Buddy Carlyle, the bus to Gwinnett is waiting. He featured a fastball at 87-90, a cutter at 83-86, a curveball at 72 and a changeup at 76-81. None of his pitches are plus, only the changeup is above average and he struggled with his command tonight. He is a guy that even when he has command only profiles as a mop-up type reliever. I personally think he may be done, but the Braves have a lot of relievers with similar stuff that actually have options to the minors left, so he may get a chance to stick it out and turn it around.
• Chad Qualls finished the game (for some reason) and featured a fastball at 91-94 and a cutter at 86-87. The Diamondbacks call it a cutter, so that is good enough for me, as I thought it showed some slider action. Both of his pitches are plus (while his fastball velocity isn't what's expected out of a closer, it is a 2-seam that gets great fade and bite). I would still prefer him as a set-up guy with his plus command, but he won't hurt you as a closer.
• Gerardo Parra, a 5-11 195 pound 21 year old, is a lefty stick that features a stance where he leans back on his back leg with all his weight there, leaving a straight front leg. He taps the bat on his back shoulder and utilizes a toe turn. This was one of the D'Backs top prospects and he showed it in this game. When you see him, he just looks like a player. He is a 60 or 65 runner and features a good looking line drive swing that shows a gap hitter who has plenty of time to add power. His swing has some loft to it, so it isn't out of the question. He is a guy that looks to be a solid starting center fielder for a contender down the road. Right now, I want to see how he reacts in a month when scouting reports get out, as he is very aggressive (which typically means he can't hit off-speed and jumps on early fastballs) and the sign of whether a player will make it as a starter or backup is in that first adjustment. I like him and think he projects to be a .280 hitter with about a .360 on base percentage (was .361-.469 at Mobile-AA) and should hit 15-20 homers a year while stealing 20-25 bases. You want that as your starting CF? I would.

Busy day tomorrow. Will be waking up at about 620 to get ready for church (yea, trying to be religious), then will head into the office after service at about 830 and do 2 charts. After that, we are scheduled (it poured here tonight) to have our first game in that summer league. One of these days, there will be room for a girlfriend in this mound of stuff to do.

Chart Impressions: ARI @ SD

• Jon Garland was on the bump for the Diamondbacks and he commanded his pitches extremely well. He showed a low 90's sinker, high 80's cutter, low 80's slider and low 80's changeup. He is primarily a fastball-slider pitcher, though he does mix in the other 2 fairly often. His sinker is above average, but everything else he throws is just average. Facing the Padres offense helped him, but he showed plus command. He is pitching at his peak right now, a below average # 3 or solid # 4. Not too much left with this guy.
• Jake Peavy struck out 12 in 7 innings. He was utilizing his low to mid 90's fastball, high 80's cutter, mid 80's slider and low 80's changeup. Peavy was primarily fastball-cutter the first time through the order and then morphed into a fastball-slider pitcher the rest of the way. He is still an ace, though you have to wonder about his slow start and if the WBC had anything to do with it, as his command was still iffy at times.
• Edward Mujica threw just his 93-95 mile per hour fastball in the outing I saw. No idea what to think of him based off that, but he appears to be a fly-ball reliever and those tend to do pretty well at Petco.
• Tony Pena throws a mid 90's fastball and high 80's slider and everything about him screams power reliever. He has a little herky jerk in his delivery, but it is nothing major. Both his fastball and slider are plus pitches and the only issue with him is that his command can disappear at times. I think he profiles decently as a closer, but he is a strong late inning reliever as a setup man.
• Chad Qualls attacked hitters with a low to mid 90's sinker and a mid to high 80's slider. He appeared to struggle a little bit with his command, but neither pitch is one that gets you overly excited, as the sinker is above average and the slider is a tick above average. He gets by with good command and that wasn't there last night. He allows the ball to be put in play a little more often then I like from a closer, but he is a solid late guy.
• Justin Upton looked phenomenal. He is all about when you see him, as if you would have seen him early in the season, you would have thought he should be in AAA. In this game (2 HR's) he kept his weight back and had a plan at the plate. He did a great job looking for pitches he could hit and then not missing him. Both home runs were over 400 foot shots. He will likely continue to be streaky for the next couple of years (he is only 21, turns 22 in August), but come his age 24 or 25 season, he will be a legitimate # 3 hitter.

Looper vs. Owings at 7:05. Shoot me now.