Chart Observations: 7/25 CLE @ SEA

1) Jeremy Sowers: 103 pitches. 9 strikes swinging. 4 Fastballs (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th), 3 on Sliders (2 in 2nd, 4th), 2 on Changeups (4th, 6th)

• Sowers came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run in on lefties, a 10-4 slider with solid bite and a change with some fade from righties with sink. He will throw 3-2 changeups.

1st: FB (86-89), SL (76-79)

2nd: FB (85-90), SL (77-79), CU (77-79)

3rd: FB (85-88), SL (75-79), CU (78-79)

4th: FB (85-89), SL (76-78), CU (79-80)

5th: FB (83-87), SL (76-78)

6th: FB (85-88), SL (77), CU (78-79)

7th: FB (85-89), SL (76)

2) Erik Bedard: 81 pitches. 5 strikes swinging. 2 Fastballs (2 in 3rd), 3 on Curveballs (1st, 2nd, 3rd)

• Bedard is a 6-1, 200 pound lefty. The 30 year old has a medium frame that can get up to at least 215. He comes from a high 3/4 release and generates a good hip turn, maxing out his possible velocity. His fastball has some run in on lefties. His curve is a sharp, big breaking 11-5 with above average depth that can be a strikeout pitch. His cutter has some cut. He will drop down to 3/4 to throw curveballs and fastballs to both lefties and righties. His stuff says at least a # 2 starter, however his ability to pitch through pain and struggles with command says a # 4 or 5. I will call him a 3 and put it in the middle.

1st: FB (90-93), CB (77)

2nd: FB (90-93), CB (75-80)

3rd: FB (89-93), CB (76-80), Cut (90)

3) Chris Jakubauskas: 53 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• Chris came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with a little run in on righties with a little sink, a 12-6 curve with above average depth that could be a strikeout pitch and a change with a little fade from lefties with a little sink.

4th: FB (90-92), CB (76-77), CU (79)

5th: FB (88-91), CB (77), CU (77)

4) Garrett Olson: 61 pitches. 7 strikes swinging. 5 Fastballs (5th, 7th, 3 in 8th), Curveball (8th) and Changeup (9th)

• Olson came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run in on lefties, a power 11-5 curve with slightly above average depth and a pretty straight change that has a little fade from righties.

5th: FB (88-90), CB (79)

6th: FB (87-90), CB (80-81)

7th: FB (88-90), CU (80-82)

8th: FB (89-91), CB (81)

9th: FB (89-90), CB (79-81), CU (80-81)

5) Winston Abreu: 18 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

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

8th: FB (90-94), SL (82-86)

9th: FB (92)

6) Jose Veras: 18 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. 2 Fastballs.

• Veras came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run in on righties with sink, a 12-6 curve with above average depth that can be a strikeout pitch and a splitter with solid dive.

9th: FB (93-96), CB (78-79), Split (81)

• Michael Saunders is a 6-4, 210 pound L/R OF. The 23 year old has a big frame that can add a lot more muscle, especially in his legs, and should be able to get to at least 235, though it would cause the loss of speed. He has an open stance with the bat held even with his back shoulder and a little in front. He has a little bit of a bat wiggle in a circle. His trigger is a cocking of the bat and a stride to square himself up and his heel on his front foot is elevated off the ground and appears to be on his front toes. Saunders shows himself as a 5 tool guy, getting down the line on a groundout at 4.3 seconds (slightly above average) and was robbed of his 1st big league hit, a home run. He shows at least slightly above average in every tool I saw (did not see his arm) and think he is a future starting corner outfielder. Is definitely a better prospect then Wladimir Balentien was. I think worse case scenario for him is Mark Kotsay in his prime.

Chart Observations: 7/16: SEA @ CLE

1) Cliff Lee: 112 pitches. 5 strikes swinging. 4 on Fastballs (5th, 2 in 8th, 9th), Cutter (7th)

• I have now charted Lee twice and both times he has fired a complete game. Lee came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with some run in on lefties and a little sink, a change with good fade from righties with a little sink, a cutter with some cut and sink, a big breaking 12-6 curve with above average depth and a 10-4 slider with good bite. It wasn't as much him as the Mariners anemic offense. Did a good job living on the edges though.

1st: FB (91-93), CU (85)

2nd: FB (91-93), CU (84), Cut (88), CB (77)

3rd: FB (89-93), CU (84-85), Cut (87), CB (78)

4th: FB (90-93), CU (83-84), Cut (87-88), CB (75-78)

5th: FB (92-93), Cut (88), CB (76), SL (81)

6th: FB (90-91), CU (84), Cut (86), CB (76)

7th: FB (91-92), CU (84-85), Cut (88)

8th: FB (90-92), CU (86), Cut (86), CB (75)

9th: FB (92-94), Cut (87), CB (75-77)

2) Garrett Olson: 69 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. Changeup (1st), Curveball (3rd)

• Olson came from a high 3/4 release and showed a fastball with average run in on lefties and a little sink, a change with good fade from righties with good sink and a sharp 10-4 curve that can be a strikeout pitch with average depth. He will throw the change in on righties and to lefties. Seattle must have something on Shin Soo-Choo, as he was the one that got fed changes by all of their pitchers.

1st: FB (89-91), CB (79-81), CU (81-83)

2nd: FB (88-90), CB (78-80), CU (81)

3rd: FB (87-89), CB (78-79), CU (81)

3) Chris Jakubauskas: 46 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Fastball (5th)

• Chris is a 6-2, 215 pound righty. The 30 year old has a medium frame that can add a little more muscle, to about 225. He comes from an over the top release. His fastball has some run in on righties and a little sink, a 12-6 curve with above average depth and a change with some fade from lefties with sink. Extra arm in a pen.

3rd: FB (90-93)

4th: FB (91-94), CB (74-78)

5th: FB (90-94), CB (76-79), CU (79-80)

4) Shawn Kelley: 19 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• Kelley is a 6-2, 215 pound righty. The 25 year old has a medium frame that can also get up to 225 if he so desires. He comes from an over the top delivery with a fastball with above average run in on righties and a little sink, a sharp 2-7 slider with above average bite and a change with good fade from lefties with sink. I like this reliever and think he has a good shot of being a quality set-up man, if not closer.

6th: FB (92-95), SL (84-86), CU (85)

5) Roy Corcoran: 9 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• Corcoran came from a 3/4 release and shows a fastball with good run and sink and a change with some fade from lefties with sink. No idea why he is in the big leagues.

7th: FB (91-93), CU (85-86)

6) Mark Lowe: 10 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. Fastball, Slider.

• Lowe came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with some late run in on righties, a sharp 2-7 slider with above average bite and a change with some fade from lefties with sink. Another guy who should at least be a solid set-up guy, if not closer.

8th: FB (97-98), SL (86-87), CU (89)

Bucholz vs. Romero tonight.

Chart Observations: SD @ SEA

1) Chad Gaudin: 113 pitches, 15 strikes swinging. 3 Fastballs (3rd, 4th, 5th), 11 Sliders (1st, 2 in 2nd, 4th, 2 in 5th, 6th, 4 in 7th) and 1 Changeup (1st)

• He came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with good run in on righties and good sink, a straight 4-seam fastball that he has better command of, a change with excllent fade and alte sink and a 3-8 slider that can have good late bite or can move like a cutter with little downward action. He spotted his slider very well and started it on the outside corner to righties and let the movement take it out of their swing path. Another 11 strikeout game that wasn't dominant.

1st: FB (90-92), SL (79-82), CU (86)

2nd: FB (90-93), SL (79-83), CU (87)

3rd: FB (91-92), SL (81), CU (87)

4th: FB (91-92), SL (81-82)

5th: FB (89-92), SL (79-83)

6th: FB (88-94), SL (80-83)

7th: FB (91-93), SL (78-82)

2) Garrett Olson: 82 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. 1 on Curveball (3rd) and 1 on Fastball (5th)

• He is a 6-1, 205 pound lefty. The 25 year ol has a medium frame that can add a little more muscle. He comes from a high 3/4 release with a drop and drive delivery. His fastball has some run in on lefties and flashes some late sink, but is inconsistent and most of the time is a straight 4-seam. His curveball is a sharp 11-5 wtih good depth and late bite. His change is a straight change with a little sink that he will throw 2-0, but he doesn't have good command of it. He shows good command of his fastball-curveball combo, but doesn't have a true 3rd pitch. Swingman.

1st: FB (90-91), CB (80)

2nd: FB (88-90), CB (79)

3rd: FB (88-90), CB (79-81)

4th: FB (89-90), CB (80), CU (82)

5th: FB (88-91), CB (76-81), CU (82)

6th: FB (89-91), CB (79-81), CU (81)

3) Roy Corcoran: 35 Pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• He is a 5-10, 185 pound righty. The 29 year old has a small frame that can add a little more muscle. He comes from a 3/4 release. His fastball has above average run and sink in on righties. His curveball is a 1-7 pitch with solid depth, but it can hang and it can also flash slider like movement. He has zero command of his stuff and appears to try and nibble, living on the corners and at the knees. Not a major league pitcher.

6th: FB (90-93), CB (80-83)

7th: FB (90-92), CB (81-83)

4) Miguel Batista: 24 Pitches. 0 strikes swinging

• He came from a 3/4 release and showed a 2-seam fastball with some sink and run in on righties and a cutter with good cut and some late sink that will flash movement like a 2-7 slider.

8th: FB (92-94), Cut (86-89)

9th: FB (91-94), Cut (88)

5) Greg Burke: 18 Pitches. 1 strike swinging. Fastball

• He came from a high 3/4, almost 3/4 release. His fastball showed good run in on righties and some sink and his slider was a flat 2-7 with marginal bite.

8th: FB (90-92), SL (83-84)

6) Edward Mujica: 3 Pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• He came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run in on righties, a splitter with good dive and a 2-7 slider with good bite.

8th: FB (92), Split (86), SL (81)

7) Heath Bell: 29 Pitches. 2 strikes swinging. Both on Curveballs.

• He came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with some late run and sink and a 12-7 curve with great depth. He was leaving his curve up and left his fastball in the middle of the plate, a terrible combination.

9th: FB (91-96), CB (79-83)

• Everth Cabrera is a 5-10, 175 pound 22 year old. The switch hitter/righty thrower has a small frame that can add a little more muscle, but not too much. As a righty, he leans back on his back leg with a slightly bent front leg that is similar to Gerardo Parra's stance but not as upright. His trigger is a slight cocking of the bat and a step to straighten himself out, as he is slightly open. From the left side, his stance is similar, but no leaned back as far or open as much. Shows a somewhat quick bat, but one designed to slap the ball around. Plus runner that will look to bunt for hits, he stole 2 bases back to back and was 3.0 from 2nd to 3rd on his steal and neither time was close to getting caught. Best case is a Chone Figgins like career. Worse case is Luis Ugueto. He probably settles in the middle as a super utility guy who can play SS and will hit for little power.
• Kyle Blanks is a massive 6-6, 285 pound righty hitter/thrower. The 22 year old has a big frame that is maxed out. He has a fairly straight on stance and he holds the bat in front of him and a little in front of his back shoulder. His trigger is a stride and a cocking of the bat. He looks like a guy that will struggle to hit plus fastballs and his swing can get a little long. He has a fly ball swing, a terrible fit for PETCO. He has a tendency to roll his wrists too early, causing would-be line drives to turn into groundouts to short. He showed better speed then I anticipated, as he was 4.3 and 4.4 down the line to first. He is in a bad situation, as he isn't going to beat out Adrian Gonzalez at 1st and is trying to play LF. He DH'd in this game. He should be a productive hitter down the road, but think Kevin Kouzmanoff type production, not Adam Dunn. PETCO will be a serious obstacle for him to try and overcome.

SEA vs. TEX

• Jarrod Washburn started for the Mariners and featured his 5 pitch mix of a fastball at 84-89, a cutter at 84-87, a changeup at 77-84 (2nd most thrown pitch), a slider at 74-80 that he used to lefties and righties to get ahead or put away and a curveball at 66-68 that he threw on the 1st pitch to get a cheap strike. No change on my opinion of him, but the lack of velocity on his fastball is concerning.
• Brandon McCarthy opposed him and he disappointed me. He has lost a lot of fastball velocity since he was a reliever for the White Sox. McCarthy showed a fastball at 87-90, a hard curveball from 76-81, a soft curveball from 72-75 and a changeup at 76-79. McCarthy's curveball is plus, but it isn't a strikeout pitch. His fastball is merely average and his changeup is a tick above average. If he can throw strikes with the curveball, he can be a middle of the rotation starter. If he doesn't, he is a back-end starter at best. He attacks hitters from straight over the top and showed above average command of all his pitches tonight.
• David Aardsma was 91-95 with his fastball and threw one slider at 81 that hung. His fastball is plus, but you have to wonder how long he can get away with it being his only pitch.
• Eddie Guardado is done in my opinion. Tonight, he was 84-86 with his fastball, 76-79 with his slider and threw a changeup at 77. Having 3 lefties (Guardado, Wilson and Derek Holland) is a luxury that this team needs to correct, especially since Guardado has had struggles this season.
• Darren O'Day is a side-arming, ground ball forcing right hander who has been phenomenal since coming over. He sat at 84-86 with his fastball and his slider was 76-77. He looks like a legitimate major league ROOGY (and even struck out Russell Branyan). It appears the Mets allowed another one to get away. I think he profiles very well as a right handed middle reliever, with his main role being to get out tough righties or to get double plays.
• Sean White showed a fastball at 90-92, an average slider at 83-86 and a plus changeup at 80-82. He needs to throw the change more, as this was his best off-speed pitch in my opinion. He may be getting the message, as he used it to strike out Marlon Byrd, a right hander.
• C.J. Wilson was in line to take the loss before Brandon Morrow's struggles, but he pitched well. He showcased a fastball at 91-93, a slider at 81-86 and a changeup at 83-85. He was over exposed as a closer, but he is a quality setup guy, as his fastball velocity is plus. His slider and changeup are both a tick above average. He showed strong command tonight as well.
• Garrett Olson made an appearance tonight and was in line to get the win. Olson attacked hitters with a fastball at 87-90, a curveball at 79-80 that moves more like a slider and a changeup at 80-82. Olson definitely doesn't have the stuff to be a starter and I don't think he has the stuff to be better then a long reliever/mop-up guy. He needs to further refine his command and his off-speed offerings.
• Brandon Morrow took the loss after allowing a shot to Hank Blalock that I thought was gone off the bat. He showed a plus fastball at 94-98 and plus curveball at 83-84. He should have had Josh Hamilton struck out looking on a great curveball, but the home plate umpire couldn't pull the trigger. He has great potential, but his command has a ways to go until you can feel confident when he is out there. Right now, every save will be an adventure.
• Elvis Andrus is a 20 year old who stands 6-0, 185 pounds. He has a medium frame with the room to add quite a bit more muscle, probably at least 10 pounds. He features a fairly straight up stance and holds the bat above his shoulder at a 45 degree angle. He shows a little bat wiggle. He seems to bring all his weight forward when he strides, limiting the time to make a decision to swing or not. He is a very aggressive hitter. He is a special fielder, one with great hands and an above average accurate arm. He has plus range to his right. He is a plus runner with borderline 75 speed. His worst case scenario in my opinion is a career like Omar Vizquel's, as he is close to the same class of fielder potentially. Best case? He is 20 and playing in the majors. The sky is the limit for this kid, though he will likely never be more then a 20 home run guy.

Tomorrow I have an extra chart and will see the same 2 teams again with a match-up of Felix Hernandez and Matt Harrison.