Reconstructing historical pitch counts for a look at how starter usage has changed.
Do starters who are worked hard in college get injured more often in the minors and majors?
Is there a price to pay in the start after an outing in which a pitcher throws a lot of pitches?
Ben and Sam discuss whether we should care about pitch counts in no-hitters, then talk about the gap between Joe Blanton’s actual and estimated ERA.
How often has a pitcher issued 10 or more walks and 10 or more strikeouts in the same game? Not often at all.
Josh Outman didn’t get to finish his fifth inning, despite being up by eight. Will this be the sort of conflict that dooms the Rockies’ four-man rotation?
Rick Peterson: The goal is for every pitcher to master the delivery. We have a comprehensive program based on drills and throwing programs to teach that. The core of efficient delivery theory comes from the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) lab of Dr. James Andrews. Last year, we had Tim Hudson and Barry Zito down to work with Dr. Andrews.
After hurting his elbow in 1974, Tommy John’s successful 11-year career with the Indians, White Sox and Dodgers looked like it was over. But Dr. Frank Jobe and his partner Dr. Robert Kerlan parlayed a long-shot procedure (ulnar collateral replacement surgery) into 14 more productive years for John’s left elbow.
Mark Prior threw 135 pitches yesterday. It was worth it, though, because it pulled the Cubs to within 12 1/2 games of first place in the NL Central and to within 14 games of the Dodgers in the wild-card race.
Look, I’ve made this argument before, so I’m not going to waste a column on it again today. Letting your nominal franchise pitcher throw 135 pitches in a meaningless game is inconsistent with any kind of plan for success. Letting him bat in the bottom of the eighth having thrown 119 pitches is grounds for firing.