Chart Observations: SD @ MIL

1) Clayton Richard: 90 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Fastball (4th)

• Richard came from a high 3/4 release and showed a 2-seam fastball with a little run in on lefties with a little sink, a change with good sink and good fade from righties that he will throw to lefties, a straight 4-seam fastball he liked to throw high with 2 strikes, a 10-4 slider with good bite and a cutter with some cut.

1st: FB (90-95), CU (85)

2nd: FB (91-94), CU (85)

3rd: FB (90-96), CU (84-85), SL (83)

4th: FB (89-95), CU (84-85), SL (80-85), Cut (89)

5th: FB (89-94), CU (81-85), SL (79-80)

6th: FB (89-91), CU (84), SL (76)

2) Mike Burns: 102 pitches. 6 strikes swinging. 2 Fastballs (2nd, 6th), 2 Sliders (3rd, 6th), Curveball (2nd), Changeup (3rd)

• Burns came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with a little run in on righties, a 12-6 curve with above average depth, a 2-7 slider with solid bite and a change with some fade from lefties with a little sink.

1st: FB (87-90), SL (79-81), CB (71)

2nd: FB (86-88), SL (79), CB (70), CU (81-82)

3rd: FB (87-89), CB (69-71)

4th: FB (86-89), SL (78-80), CB (69-70)

5th: FB (85-89), SL (80-81), CB (71), CU (78-82)

6th: FB (86-90), SL (78-80), CB (69-70)

3) Greg Burke: 11 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• Burke came from an over the top release and showed a 2-7 slider with below average bite and a fastball with some run in on righties and sink.

6th: FB (91-94), SL (82-86)

4) Mitch Stetter: 12 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• Stetter came from a sidearm release and showed a sweeping 9-4 slider with solid bite and a fastball with some run in on lefties.

6th: FB (84), SL (78-79)

7th: FB (84-87), SL (79)

5) Luke Gregerson: 12 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Slider.

• Gregerson came from a sidearm release and showed a fastball with good run in on righties with good sink, a 3-8 slider with above average bite and a change with some fade from lefties with good sink.

7th: FB (91-93), SL (82-84), CU (81)

6) Mark DiFelice: 13 pitches. 3 strikes swinging. 3 Cutters.

• DiFelice came from a 3/4 release and showed a cutter with good cut and a 12-6 curve with below average depth.

7th: Cut (81-83), CB (76)

7) Claudio Vargas: 18 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Slider.

• Vargas came from a high 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run in on righties and a 2-7 slider with above average bite.

8th: FB (89-92), SL (79-82)

8) Mike Adams: 10 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. Fastball, Changeup.

• Adams came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with a little run in on righties, a cutter with some cut and a change with plus fade from righties with above average sink.

8th: FB (93-95), Cut (90), CU (84)

9) Heath Bell: 14 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Curveball.

• Bell came from an over the top release and showed a 4-seam fastball with some natural run in on righties and some sink and a sharp 1-7 curve with above average depth that is a strikeout pitch.

9th: FB (91-95), CB (79-82)

Playoff Game cancelled, so I am going to be working on the relief pitcher study since I already traded my game away.

TB @ CWS

1) Jeff Niemann: 100 pitches. 9 strikes swinging. 2 on Fastballs (2nd, 5th), 6 on Curveballs (2nd, 5th, 2 in 7th, 2 in 8th) and a Slider (4th)

• Niemann came from an over the top release and showed a fastball that is very straight that may have a little cut to it, a sharp, big breaking 12-6 curve with excellent depth that can be a strikeout pitch (and serves as his out pitch) and a sharp 2-7 slider with good bite. He straightens his arm behind him on the back take before beginning his acceleration through. Very impressive tonight and his curveball was plus for most of this outing.

1st: FB (91-94), SL (84), CB (79)

2nd: FB (91-94), CB (77)

3rd: FB (91-95), SL (84)

4th: FB (92-95), SL (85), CB (77-80)

5th: FB (92-95), CB (77-80)

6th: FB (92-94), CB (77-80)

7th: FB (90-95), CB (77-79)

8th: FB (91-94), SL (82), CB (76-80)

2) Clayton Richard: 116 pitches. 6 strikes swinging. 2 on Fastballs (2nd, 3rd) and 4 on Changeups (2 in 6th, 2 in 7th)

• Richard came from a high 3/4 release and showed a 2-seam fastball with some run in on lefties, a change that looks like a fastball out of his hand with good sink and fade form righties, a cutter with some cut in on righties and a 11-4 slider with above average bite. He also showed a straight 4-seam fastball and he has an excellent pick off move. He sold me tonight and retired the last 15 hitters he faced. Definite shot at being a # 2, but more likely to be a # 4.

1st: FB (90-95), CU (84), Cut (84-88)

2nd: FB (91-96), CU (85), SL (79)

3rd: FB (90-95), CU (82-86), SL (81)

4th: FB (91-96), CU (86), Cut (87), SL (79)

5th: FB (90-95), CU (86), SL (82-85)

6th: FB (90-94), CU (84-86), Cut (88), SL (77-83)

7th: FB (90-95), CU (84-87)

8th: FB (89-94), CU (81)

3) Bobby Jenks: 20 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Fastball.

• Jenks came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with run in on righties with sink, a 12-6 curve with above average depth sharp enough to be a strikeout pitch, a sharp 2-7 slider with solid bite and a change with some fade from lefties. Battled his command tonight.

9th: FB (92-95), SL (87-90), CB (84), CU (83-84)

4) J.P. Howell: 12 pitches. 4 strikes swinging. 3 on Curveballs, Changeup.

• Howell came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with some run in on lefties, a change with above average fade from lefties with good sink and a 11-5 curve with above average depth.

9th: FB (85-87), CB (82-83), CU (79)

Traded my games for Wednesday, so I have the day off. My first real day off (no baseball game, no work) in atleast 2 months. Looking forward to it.

Chart Observations: LAD @ CHW

1) Chad Billingsley: 107 pitches. 11 strikes swinging. 3 on Fastballs (1st, 2 in 6th), 1 on a Curveball (1st), 5 on Sliders (2nd, 4th, 5th, 2 in 6th), 2 on Cutters (3rd, 5th)

• He is a 6-1, 245 pound righty. The 24 year old has a medium frame that is maxed out. He comes from an over the top release. His fastball has a little run in on righties and I believe was down from his typical velocity. His cutter has above average cut with a little sink. His curve is a sharp 12-6 with good depth and bite that can be a strike out pitch, but the White Sox hitters were able to continue to foul the balls off. His slider is a sharp 2-7 with above average bite that was his out pitch to most righties. His cutter flattened out in the 4th. Obviously Jeff Weaver has had an effect on him, as he dropped down sidearm to throw a fastball. He worked with plus command and did a nice job of locating.

1st: FB (89-93), CB (79), Cut (88-90)

2nd: FB (89-91), CB (67-77), Cut (89-90), SL (85)

3rd: FB (89-92), CB (79-80), Cut (87-89), SL (85)

4th: FB (89-92), CB (79-80), Cut (86-87), SL (85)

5th: FB (88-92), CB (69-81), Cut (87-89), SL (84-86)

6th: FB (87-93), CB (80-81), Cut (88-89), SL (83-84)

2) Clayton Richard: 85 Pitches. 5 strikes swinging. Slider (2nd), 3 on changeups (All in 4th) and 1 on a cutter (2nd)

• Richard is a 6-5, 240 pound lefty. The 25 year old has a big frame that can add a little more muscle. He comes from a 3/4 release with a drop and drive delivery, though he is more of a slinger arm action. His 2-seam fastball has some run in on righties and flashes some sink and his 4-seam is straight that he really only used when throwing a high fastball. His cutter has some cut and a little sink. His change has some fade from righties and sink and is his best off-speed offering. His slider is a slurvy 11-4 with solid bite. He got a lot of hype for being in the Jake Peavy deal, but I am undecided on him. He likely isn't going to start throwing any harder and his stuff is just average in my opinion. I think he is a # 4, # 5 type starter.

1st: FB (90-92)

2nd: FB (89-94), Cut (84-89), SL (80-84), CU (82-83)

3rd: FB (87-93), CU (81-84)

4th: FB (89-92), Cut (86), SL (79), CU (79-84)

5th: FB (88-90), CU (81)

3) D.J. Carrasco: 39 Pitches. 3 strikes swinging. 2 on Sliders (5th, 6th) and a Fastball (6th)

• Carrasco came from an over the top release with a cutter that has some cut, a 2-seam fastball with some run in on righties and sink that he threw more then he usually does. He also showed a 1-7 curve with good bite. He will throw a frisbee (we chart curve, I will call it a slider) when he drops down with 2 strikes to right handers. He will also throw a fastball from the same angle that is usually 86-88. He is very consistent with using this frisbee slider as his out pitch to righties and they must be ready for it. His change has some fade, but is below average.

5th: FB (89-91), Cut (88), CB (80), SL (72)

6th: FB (86-92), Cut (89-90), SL (71)

7th: FB (88-93), Cut (88-90), CB (80), SL (73), CU (80)

4) Ronald Belisario: 18 Pitches. 1 strike swinging. Fastball (7th)

• He came from a 3/4 release with a fastball that has excellent run in on righties and above average sink. His slider is a 2-7 pitch with solid bite that can flatten out and he needs to improve his consistency with this pitch.

7th: FB (93-96), SL (85-87)

8th: FB (94-96), SL (85)

5) Scott Linebrink: 18 Pitches. 1 strike swinging. Fastball.

• Linebrink is a 6-2, 210 pound righty. The 32 year old has a medium frame that is maxed out. He comes from an over the top release. His fastball has some late run and sink in on righties. His split has great late downward movement and can be confused with a curve (shockingly), but the one he threw went about 45 feet. His change is a straight change with a litle sink.

8th: FB (93-95), CU (83-84), Split (84)

6) Brent Leach: 16 Pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• He came from a high 3/4 release and showed a 11-5 curve with good depth that is a little slurvy, a straight 4-seam fastball and has added a 11-5 slider that is sharp with some break. His command is very inconsistent and is what is holding him back from being the # 1 lefty for the Dodgers.

8th: FB (92-93), CB(78)

9th: FB (92), SL (87-88)

7) Matt Thornton: 13 Pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• Thornton is a massive 6-6, 235 pound lefty. The 32 year old has a big frame that can add a little more muscle. He comes from a high 3/4 release with a straight 4-seam fastball and a 10-4 slider with some bite. One of the best lefty relievers in the game.

9th: FB (93-96), SL (89)

8) Ramon Troncoso: 27 Pitches, 3 strikes swinging. 2 on Fastballs (Both in 9th) and a curve (10th)

• Troncoso is a 6-1, 220 pound righty. The 26 year old has a medium frame that is maxed out. He comes from an over the top release with a high effort delivery where he breaks his hands fairly high. His fastball has excellent run and flashes sink. His curve is a sharp 12-6 with good depth and can be a K pitch. The combination of his excellent movement of his fastball and his mechanics lead me to believe he may struggle to consistently throw strikes.

9th: FB (91-95), CB (77-78)

10th: FB (91-94), CB (77-79)

9) Bobby Jenks: 18 Pitches. 3 strikes swinging. 2 on Fastballs, Slider

• Jenks is a 6-3, 275 man beast who is maxed out and has some bad weight (there is a gut). The 28 year old righty came from an over the top release. His fastball has above average run and sink in on righties. His slider is a sharp 2-7 with solid bite. Above average closer.

10th: FB (93-96), SL (89-90)

10) Jeff Weaver: 57 Pitches. 4 strikes swinging. 3 on Fastballs (2 in 11th, 13th), Slider (12th)

• Weaver came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run and sink in on righties, a change with some fade from lefties and some sink, but fairly straight, a 2-8 curve with okay depth and a frisbee 3-8 slider from sidearm or a sharp 2-7 from his normal release with solid bite. He will drop down sidearm to throw sliders and fastballs and appears to do this whenever he feels the need to F with hitters, as there is no distinguishable pattern, though he does like the drop down slider with 2 strikes, but isn't as committed to it as Carrasco. His stuff has regressed and he gets by with deception and command.

11th: FB (88-93), SL (79-82), CU (80), CB (73-76)

12th: FB (88-92), SL (79-84), CU (79), CB (75)

13th: FB (87-92), SL (79-81), CU (82)

11) Octavio Dotel: 23 Pitches. 7 (!) strikes swinging. 6 on Fastballs (11th, 5 in 12th), Slider (12th)

• He came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with natural cut and sink and has great late life, a 2-7 curve with solid depth and a sharp 2-7 slider with good bite.

11th: FB (92-94), CB (78-81)

12th: FB (91-93), SL (82-84)

12) Aaron Poreda: 14 Pitches. 5 (!) strikes swinging. 4 on Fastballs, Slider.

• Poreda is a 6-6, 240 pound man child. The # 2 prospect for the White Sox prior to the start of the season, the 22 year old has a big frame that can add a little more muscle. He comes from a high 3/4 release and generates easy velocity from a clean delivery with good arm action. His fastball (a surprise to me) was not a huge velocity pitch and had quite a bit natural cut and sink, though it does explode out of his hand. His slider is a slurvy 11-5 with good bite. He can be very special as a reliever, though I think it would be as more of a set-up man then a Billy Wagner style closer. Will be interesting to see if he becomes Joba Chamberlain and becomes a starter after this apprenticeship or a Jonathan Papelbon and stay a reliever. Pray he doesn't become Brandon Morrow and is allowed to settle into 1 role. This was his first major league win.

13th: FB (90-94), SL (77)

I never said this before, but if you want to know how someone played that I didn't mention, feel free to ask. Just because I didn't write a report on them doesn't mean I didn't study their at bats.

Chart Observations: CHW vs. CLE

• Clayton Richard got the start for the White Sox, his first in at least a year. He looked good early, sitting at 91-95 with his fastball. However, once he got to the third inning, he sat at 89-91 and definitely didn't appear to be used to pitching this long. Richard also attacked hitters with a slurvy slider anywhere from 75-85, a changeup from 81-84 and a cut fastball at 85-89. Richard's fastball is plus out of the pen, but none of his other offerings do much. He is more of a sinkerballing reliever and could probably be a strong LOOGY with his slurvy slider and hard fastball. He just added the cutter this year.
• Jeremy Sowers opposed him and also struggled. Sowers has some unique arm action in that he brings his arm straight back and seems to really relax off his elbow. I don't know anything about what type of extra stress that may put on his arm. His stuff wasn't very good though. He went after the White Sox hitters with a fastball at 86-91, a slider at 76-82 and a changeup at 80-82. Sowers is not a major league pitcher, in either the rotation (for someone with such a slow fastball, he throws a lot of them, almost 75 %) or the bullpen (slider is barely average). Sowers will need to hope to have a Jamie Moyer like revelation to develop into something.
• D.J. Carrasco is back in the states and throwing strikes. He featured a cutter at 88-90, a fastball at 92, a curveball anywhere from 73-82 and he threw a sidearm fastball at 88. He likes to drop sidearm to throw both a fastball and curveball to try and get extra movement and give hitters something else to think about. Solid long reliever type guy and was moderately surprised he didn't get the spot start today.
• Matt Thornton may have the best stuff of any left handed reliever in the game right now. Yesterday, he was 93-97 with his fastball and threw one slider at 85. That type of velocity from a left hander is unheard of and he commands it very well. Could be a closer, but fits great for the White Sox as 7th inning pitcher, as a pitcher with that velocity can get out right handers as well.
• Octavio Dotel featured a fastball at 92-94 and a slider at 80-82. The slider lacked its bite that it has shown in the past and is just a tick above average now as opposed to a plus pitch. He has solid command of both his pitches and is still a quality set-up man.
• Bobby Jenks closed out the game with fastballs sitting at 93-96 and threw 1 slider at 91 and 1 changeup at 84. Another of the better closers in the game.
• Jensen Lewis pitched pretty well, featuring a fastball sitting at 89-92, a plus changeup at 78-81 and a slider at 85. Still a guy that could factor into the late innings if he develops another pitch to complement his changeup.
• Tony Sipp has not impressed me either time I have seen him. He just can't command his stuff. His fastball is an above average pitch, as it sits at 91-93 with some movement. His slider is an average pitch sitting at 80-82. His lack of command causes his pitches to play down. He definitely needs more seasoning in AAA.
• Matt Herges finished the game featuring a fastball sitting at 88-90, a curveball at 75 and a changeup at 79-81. Herges 2-seam features a lot of movement and is an above average pitch. His changeup is a tick above average and his curveball is also a tick above average. Solid reliever to have in the pen, but he is prone to allowing hits, as none of his pitches are anything a hitter hasn't seen before.

Chart Impressions: CHW @ KC

• I have to imagine that watching Zach Greinke pitch nowadays is like being a fan of painting and getting to watch Leonardo Da Vinci work. Greinke attacked hitters with a mid-90's fastball, a mid to high 80's slider and a low 70's curveball. Every pitch he threw was plus. He didn't even have to throw his low 80's changeup today to throw a complete game shutout. His command has been otherworldy thus far. He is definitely the front-runner for the AL Cy Young as long as he stays healthy, which he should, as his mechanics are still very clean.
• Bartolo Colon was the unlucky pitcher who had to realize he was getting a loss no matter what he did. Colon attacked hitters with a low to mid 90's 4-seamer, a plus high 80's to low 90's 2-seamer, a below average mid 80's slider and a below average mid 80's change. Colon threw about 90 % fastballs and this is because his offspeed stuff is not where it once was. However, his 2-seam fastball can compensate for that due to its movement and its ability to keep the hitters from hitting it. He likes to start it on the outer half to righties (or inner half to lefties) and run it back over the plate for a strike. He then pitched off of that and had it start further outside and end up just outside the plate, having hitters make weak contact on fastballs out of the zone.
• Clayton Richard was the only other pitcher to throw in this game. He attacked hitters with a low to mid 90's fastball, a high 70's to mid 80's slurvy slider and a low to mid 70's changeup. I also believed he has added a mid to high 80's cutter to his repetoire this year as another weapon. His fastball is a 4-seam that is fairly straight and is likely barely above average due to the velocity. His slider, changeup and cutter are all average pitches. He likely profiles better as a starter then a reliever, as he doesn't have that one above average pitch that would make him a LOOGY. A back-end starter is his upside as a starter and is a 10th or 11th guy as a reliever.
• Jayson Nix returned to the big leagues after flaming out last April with the Rockies. Nix is a very muscular guy whose frame is completely maxed out. He has a little hunch in his setup, but nothing too major that results in a detriment to him hitting. He played 3rd base tonight after coming up as a 2nd basemen. He also played right field. That is likely his best role on a team, as a supersub. The White Sox are a good team to try and make it with, as they employed the likes of Pablo Ozuna for a good while and Nix is a little slower but has more power. He has his uses, just not as an everyday player, as I have heard he isn't great defensively at 2B and doesn't have the stick to provide average production as a 3B or RF.
• I like Chris Getz as an everyday 2B, but he is likely more of a 2-hole hitter then a lead-off hitter. He is crouched in his stance and shows the ability to control the strike zone. He doesn't have any real plus tools, but all his tools are at least average. He is likely a .280 hitter with a .340-.360 on-base percentage and a .400 slugging. Pretty solid player for a 2Bmen.
• Alexei Ramirez has struggled this year when I have seen him. Pitchers are feeding him off-speed pitches that start on the outside corner and break off and Ramirez has flailed at them everytime. I don't think this is anything shocking, as he showed an inability to control the strike zone last season despite putting up strong numbers. I think he is very similar to Jeff Francouer and will have a similar career path, where he will need to undergo some major plate discipline changes to reach his potential. The question is does Gordon Beckham (when talking to the scout that drafted him, he compared him to Michael Young) put extra pressure, since Beckham can likely handle SS and Getz can handle 2B? Time will tell. If it had to, I believe Beckham has the offensively capability to carry 3rd base.
• David DeJesus is a very underrated OF. His production doesn't carry a corner (and having Coco Crisp in CF, Mark Teahen at 3B and Billy Butler at 1B doesn't really give him an opportunity to not provide the pop necessary for a corner outfielder), but he is a valuable player nonetheless. He is a typical .290-.360-.440 type hitter in my mind and is hitting in his ideal spot, 2 hole. Does he have the ability to go higher? You can never say never, but I think he is playing at his peak right now, as a valuable OFer who can play 3 spots and provide top of the order like on-base production.
• Brent Lillibridge should lose his spot to Nix. Lillibridge hasn't even proven he can hit AAA pitching, let alone major league pitching. Lillibridge is still young and can develop his plus speed into a more usable asset by working counts better and adding a lot more muscle. Not saying he isn't a big leaguer down the road, as he can likely be a legit super-utility guy in 2 or 3 years, but he isn't ready for big league pitching yet.

Got the Astros-Nationals live score coming up in half an hour with a pitching matchup of Oswalt and Olsen.