9/10: ATL @ HOU

1) Roy Oswalt: 71 pitches. 9 strikes swinging. 4 Fastballs, 2 Sliders, 2 Curveballs, Changeup.

• Oswalt came from an over the top release and showed a fastabll with some run in on righties and some sink, a change with some fade from lefties and some sink that he will throw 3-2, a big breaking 12-6 curve with slightly above average depth and a 2-7 slider with solid bite.

1st: FB (91-94), CB (71-76), SL (84-85), CU (83-85) - 3 FB, 2 CB

2nd: FB (90-95), CB (65-74), SL (80-81), CU (83-85) - FB, 2 SL, CU

2) Derek Lowe: 101 pitches. 6 strikes swinging. 4 Sliders, 2 Fastballs.

• Lowe came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run in on righties and good sink, a change with some fade from lefties and some sink, a sharp 2-7 slider with some bite and a cutter with some cut.

1st: FB (88-90), SL (80-82), CU (83), Cut (87) - FB

2nd: FB (88-89), Cut (86)

3rd: FB (87-89), SL (78-81)

4th: FB (87-89), SL (80-83) - FB, 2 SL

5th: FB (86-89), SL (81-84), CU (83), Cut (85-86) - 2 SL

6th: FB (88-89), SL (81-82)

3) Billy Sadler: 25 pitches. 3 strikes swinging. 2 Curveballs, Fastball.

• Sadler is a 6-0, 195 pound righty. The 28 year old has a medium frame that can get up to 205 at least. He came from a 3/4 release with real bizarre mechanics and is extremely herky jerky. He has a classic drop and drive, but really exaggerates his hip turn and his limbs are moving every which way. His fastball has some run in on righties. His curve is a 10-5 with average depth. His change is straight with a little sink that he will throw to righties and it is not very good. 4-A guy who just doesn't have great stuff.

3rd: FB (89-91), CB (76), CU (82) - FB, CB

4th: FB (88-91), CB (77-78), CU (79-82) - CB

4) Wesley Wright: 8 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Slider.

• Wright came from a high 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run in on lefties, a sweeping 11-5 slider with good bite

4th: FB (90-91), SL (79-81) - SL

5) Wilton Lopez: 27 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Fastball.

• Lopez is a 6-0, 200 pound righty. The 26 year old has a medium frame that can add a little more muscle to his lower half. Athletic build. He came from a 3/4 release with a drop and drive delivery that was fairly clean. His fastball has good run in on righties and some sink. His slider is a sharp 2-7 with some bite. His change has some fade from lefties and some sink. Solid middle reliever who should force a lot of groundballs.

5th: FB (90-94), SL (83-85), CU (83)

6th: FB (91-95) - FB

6) Eric O'Flaherty: 18 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Slider.

• O'Flaherty came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with good run in on lefties, a 11-5 slider with good bite and a change with some fade from righties and some sink.

6th: FB (89-92), SL (84) - SL

7th: FB (90-92), SL (83-85), CU (83-86)

7) Sam Gervacio: 14 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. 2 Sliders.

• Gervacio came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with good run in on righties and good sink, a tight 3-8 slider with okay bite and a

7th: FB (88-90), SL (83-85) - 2 SL

8) Peter Moylan: 23 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• Moylan came from a sidearm release and showed a 3-8 slider with good bite and a fastball with some run in on righties.

7th: FB (90), SL (77)

8th: FB (88-92), SL (78-80)

9) Tim Byrdak: 12 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. 2 Sliders.

• Byrdak came from a high 3/4 release and showed a 11-5 slider with good bite and a fastball with some run in on lefties.

8th: FB (87-90), SL (81-86) - 2 SL

10) Doug Brocail: 15 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Fastball.

• Brocail is a 6-5, 235 pound righty. The 42 year old has a big frame that is maxed out. He came from an over the top release in fairly clean mechanics and showed a fastball with some run in on righties and some sink. His curve is a big breaking 12-6 with above average depth. His cutter has some cut. Solid middle reliever, though this is probably his last hurrah.

9th: FB (87-91), CB (77), Cut (87) - FB

11) Mike Gonzalez: 22 pitches. 2 strikes swinging. 2 Sliders.

• Gonzalez came from a high 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run in on lefties and a sharp 11-5 slider with good bite.

9th: FB (93-96), SL (77-86) - 2 SL

• Chris Johnson is a 6-3, 220 pound third basemen. The 24 year old has a medium frame that is maxed out. He has a fairly straight up stance with a slight bent. His trigger is a shifting of weight and a cocking of the bat. Bat looks a little slow in this game, he either isn't seeing the ball well or has a slow bat. Very clean stance with little wasted motion. Looks like he should be a solid gap to gap hitter.

6/24 Score: KC @ HOU

Been really busy the last couple of days working on an extra project for BIS, but here is the 2 things that haven't yet been added:

1) Luke Hochevar: 93 strikes. 10 strikes swinging. 9 on sliders (4 in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3 in 7th) and 1 on a curveball (5th).

• He comes from a high 3/4 release. His fastball has good run and sink and is more of a late action pitch. His slider is a 2-7 pitch with good bite that he started on the outside corner and let the Astros flail at it. He starts his windup with the back of his left foot up and his right foot is already turned. His curveball is a 12-6 pitch with good depth that he didn't start using until the 2nd time through the order. For a pitcher who relies on a sinker, the lack of swing and misses has to be concerning. His upside is that of a # 3 starter.

1st: FB (90-93), SL (83)

2nd: FB (91-94), SL (83-86)

3rd: FB (91-93), SL (83-85)

4th: FB (90-93), SL (83-85), CB (73-74)

5th: FB (92-94), SL (83-86), CB (75-76)

6th: FB (91-93), SL (83-84), CB (76)

7th: FB (91-93), SL (82-85), CB (75)

2) Roy Oswalt: 106 pitches. 13 strikes swinging. 8 on Fastballs (2 in 2nd, 3 in 5th, 3 in 6th), 3 on Curveballs (3rd, 2 in 4th) and 2 on Sliders (4th, 6th)

• Roy is a 6-0 190 pound righty. The 31 year old has a medium frame that can add a little more muscle. He comes from an over the top release. His fastball is a 4-seam with some run in on righties and it flashes some sink, though he will also throw a harder one that is straight. His curveball is a 12-5 with solid depth and he throws it all over the place velocity wise. His curveball looks like a fastball out of his hand until it breaks downward. His slider is a sharp 2-7 with good bite. His change has some fade and sink, but is his 4th pitch. Ace stuff still, but his pitch counts have been high both games I have seen him this year, making him more of a very strong # 2.

1st: FB (91-95), CB (71-72)

2nd: FB (93-95), CB (70-80)

3rd: FB (93-94), CB (64-77), SL (85)

4th: FB (93-96), CB (68-72), SL (84-85)

5th: FB (92-94), CB (70-71), SL (83), CU (81)

6th: FB (90-96), CB (65-78), SL (84-86)

3) Chris Sampson: 9 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• He came from a high 3/4 release and showed a 2-seam fastball with some run and sink, a 12-6 curve with good depth and a 2-7 slider with good bite. Swingman.

7th: FB (89-90), SL (83), CB (77-78)

4) Latroy Hawkins: 7 pitches. 0 strikes swinging

• He came from an over the top release and showed a straight 4-seam fastball, big breaking 12-6 curve and a straight change that may have been a spinning slider (I don't study pitches as much in scores as I do in charts). He is back to the old Minnesota Hawkins and Ed Wade got a lot of grief for this deal at the time, but it looks good (the player they dealt, Matt Cusick, is hitting .266-.350-.379 in High A)

8th: FB (94-95), CB (80-81), CU (87)

5) Kyle Farnsworth: 3 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• He came from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with some run in on righties and a cutter with solid cut. He left the game with an apparent groin injury and he went to the ground immediately.

8th: FB (96-97), Cut (90)

6) Jamey Wright: 18 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• He came from a high 3/4 release and probably wasn't fully loose when he decide to start pitching. His fastball is a 2-seam with some run in on righties and some sink. His curveball is a big breaking 12-6 with good depth.

8th: FB (88-94), CB (78-80)

7) Jose Valverde: 24 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Fastball

• Valverde comes from a 3/4 release and showed a fastball with good run in on righties and a split with solid dive. He also threw a 2-7 slider with good bite. It is possible some of these mile per hours for his sliders were splitters, as they can look similar when you aren't paying great attention to the pitch.

9th: FB (94-98), SL (85-87), Split (84-87)

8) Roman Colon: 14 pitches. 3 strikes swinging. Splitter and 2 Sliders

• He came from an over the top release and showed a 4-seam fastball with a little late run, a sharp 1-7 slider with good bite and a split that had some dive. His stuff hasn't ever been a question and now that he can just focus on short spurts, he should fulfill his potential and flashes the ability to be a late inning reliever.

9th: FB (93-95), SL (80-84), Split (89)

9) Tim Byrdak: 16 pitches. 3 strikes swinging. Fastball, Slider, Changeup.

• He came from a high 3/4 release. Another guy whose changeup and slider could be different. His change is a straight change that he will throw to lefties, his slider is a 10-5 with okay bite and his fastball is a straight 4-seam. Maybe a 2nd lefty, I have never been enamored with his stuff.

10th: FB (88-91), SL (82-85), CU (84)

10) Joakim Soria: 22 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Changeup.

• He came from a 3/4 release with a fastball that had some run in on righties, thought it could straighten out. His change has good fade and sink and he will throw it to righties and is his best off-speed offering. His curve is a 12-6 with good depth and his slider is a 2-7 pitch with solid bite.

10th: FB (90-92), CU (84-86), CB (70), SL (79)

11) Jeff Fulchino: 23 pitches. 0 strikes swinging.

• He came from an over the top release and showed a fastball with some run and sink, a split with good dive and a 2-7 slider with solid bite.

11th: FB (91-95), SL (79-84), Split (85-87)

12) John Bale: 12 pitches. 1 strike swinging. Curveball.

• He came from a high 3/4 release and showed a straight 4-seam fastball, a straight change with some late sink and an 11-5 curve with good depth and bite. Interesting that he was the choice over Juan Cruz to save the game and this was his 1st big league save.

11th: FB (91-92), CB (73-74), CU (82)

HOU @ WAS

This game is currently in a rain delay in the 11th (of course its an extra, so I don't get more money), but will give you what I saw thus far:

• Roy Oswalt looks like the same pitcher he has always been. He features a low to mid 90's fastball, mid 80's slider, low 70's curveball and mid 80's changeup. He attacks hitters and forces them to try and put the ball in play. He left the game due to a bone bruise on his right index finger.
• Scott Olsen has lost some velocity on his fastball. He sits in the mid to high 80's with it, in addition to a mid 80's change and mid 80's slider. The real fun part is attempting to differentiate between these 2 pitches, as the slider's break can be fairly indistinguishable to the naked eye. Olsen had a chance at being a middle of the rotation guy when his fastball was in the low 90's, but with it in the high 80's, he is a back-end starter.
• Chris Sampson had some major command issues of his stuff and when you have a 2-seam fastball in the high 80's, you can't afford to be falling behind. He also showed a low 80's slider. Both pitches are major league average pitches (he also throws a high 70's curve and low 80's change). He is what he is, a long reliever who shouldn't be pitching in big situations.
• Tim Byrdak was the only Houston reliever who looked decent in this game. He attacks hitters with a low 90's fastball, a low 80's slider and a low 80's changeup. But, he is another pitcher who shouldn't be pitching at the end of games and is only a middle reliever, not a set-up man.
• Geoff Geary is another middle inning reliever throwing late innings. Geary attacks with a low 90's fastball, mid 80's slider and low 80's curveball. He is nothing amazing as a reliever and is a protypical RH reliever.
• Saul Rivera looked good for his 1 inning, mixing his high 80's 2-seamer, high 80's cutter and mid 80's slider very well. Looks to be back to what he is, a very durable middle reliever who can get you multiple outs.
• Julian Tavarez is another guy who is a solid middle reliever who shouldn't be pitching late in games (sense a trend here?). He attacks hitter with a mid to high 80's sinker that is plus and an average slider. He is a very good and versatile reliever to have at the front of a bullpen or in the middle to get ground balls, but you don't want to rely on him as your 8th or 9th inning guy.
• Garrett Mock is someone the Nats have high hopes for in the back of their pen. I don't see it. He is another guy who is probably a 10th or 11th pitcher with his low 90's fastball and a low 80's slider. Both pitches are only major league average pitches. He has/had solid command until he seemingly twisted his ankle on a Michael Bourn bunt pop out. Don't know if there is too much of a bigger ceiling here either.
• Kip Wells actually looks the part of a late innings reliever with his mid 90's fastball, low 80's curveball and high 80's changeup. Both the fastball and curveball are plus pitches, but he also showed a tendency to nibble as opposed to attacking hitters (which has been his M.O. for awhile). That being said, this is a good risk by the Nationals to see if he can become something as a reliever. Upside is of a set-up man, as he still shows a little tendency to the long ball.
• Joel Hanrahan didn't look great but got the job done with his stuff. He still shows closer stuff to me and needs to be back in that role.
• Elijah Dukes has grown a lot as a baseball player. One of the ultimate "toolsy" guys, he is showing signs of putting it all together. Pitchers used to feed him sliders that start on the outside and break off the zone and he would swing. Now, he is learning to let those pitches go and taking the free ball pitchers give him. This causes them to throw him more fastballs and he feasts in those situations (his HR off Oswalt was on a 94 mph fastball at the letters). You never know what your going to get from this guy in regards to off the field incidents, but he can be a strong corner outfielder (he is a little over exposed as a CF) and give you some fairly good production. The power is real and I think lines of .270-.330-.480 are not out of his grasp.

Back on the grind tomorrow with 2 charts.