Jacob deGrom outpitched Clayton Kershaw in game 1 of the Dodgers/Mets NLDS on October 9.
Jacob deGrom fastball locations, Oct 9
Mark Buehrle retires
Mark Buehrle is best known for throwing the slowest fastball in baseball, but he retires as a solidly above-average pitcher because of his control and command of his pitches.
Mark Buehrle (red dot) fastball velocity vs all other pitchers (at least 500 fastballs)
Henry Owens’ changeup
Henry Owens has been inconsistently effective this year, but his changeup remains a potent weapon.
Henry Owens changeup locations, 2015
Rich Hill looks like an unexpected ace
Rich Hill’s career has been notable mainly for injuries, but his 2015 starts at the age of 35 have been very impressive. His curve has been particularly excellent:
Rich Hill’s curve vs fastball
Zack Greinke is ridiculously good
Zack Greinke can beat you with any one of 5 excellent pitches, and if he also wants to humiliate you he might throw you an eephus pitch too.
Zack Greinke and the eephus pitch (Sept 1, 2015)
What’s Wrong With Junichi Tazawa?
A couple days after I asked What’s Wrong With Setup Man Junichi Tazawa?, the Red Sox announced that he would be shut down for the rest of the year due to overwork.
Junichi Tazawa fastball location, first vs. second half
Wade Davis is a pretty good pitcher
Kansas City Royals Setup Man Wade Davis is having yet another superb year.
Wade Davis: Fastball vs cutter to right-handed batters
Rick Porcello is getting better results
I looked at what’s happened to Rick Porcello’s pitches on his return from the DL (Red Sox Starter Rick Porcello Can Still Be Dominant)
Rick Porcello: Spin direction and pitch speed per game in 2015
Joe Kelly and the pitch count
Joe Kelly has had a run of success. Is it partly because he’s becoming less predictable?
Red Sox Pitcher Joe Kelly: Pitch Usage
Joe Kelly: Pitch use vs pitch count
Matt Barnes’ major-league debut
In all, Barnes probably neither hurt nor helped himself with this outing. While he didn’t show himself to be a sure-fire starter, he also had many factors working against him, and showed a number of good points. While his future is more likely to be in the pen than as a starter, he showed signs that he does have a major-league career ahead of him.
—Red Sox Pitcher Matt Barnes Made His First MLB Start