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Yesterday, we opined that while (1) Farquhar's slider was on steroids, it was still (2) definitely his worst pitch.

Today, Danny Farquhar fell madly in love with his Slider/Cutter/Swerveball, doubling and tripling up with it -- and sticking his fingers in the doggie's mouth, got them bit.  Each time he was hurt, it was on a "challenge" slider thrown to a cliche'd "mistake" area.

Nothing whatsoever to panic about.  Confidence is great, but confidence born in ignorance can bite you.  Farquhar's takeway is simple, if he'll take it away ... "challenge" sliders need to be thrown with a little discretion.  His slider is the "in between" velo pitch, the one that speeds hitters' bats up.  It's the one he'll get hurt on, if he thinks it's bulletproof.

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Ben Zobrist:  the Pitch that Got Mauled

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Pitch four:  NOBODY throws a slider high and centered.  It is -4 MPH to your fastball, making it nice and comfortable for the batter to catch up to it, even if he's not guessing slider.  There is really no way to swing late on a slider; you might go an entire season, 20,000 pitches or whatever, and never see a batter swing behind a slider a single time.

Conventionally, the slider is thrown to break off the plate away from a righty, taking advantage of the batter's "greed" when he sees a "slow fastball."

... or maybe to break below the zone.  ... or if thrown into the zone, maybe you throw it off the plate to come back in, just nipping the plate.

But to start inside the plate, and then to break into the middle of the plate?  To where ANY batter's swing shape (much less Ben Zobrist's!) covers the area naturally and fluidly?  Throwing a "slow fastball" high and down the middle?  It's a BP pitch.  ... we're just talking about the general reasons why you don't see this pitch often.

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Still and all.  Farquhar has been doing this, throwing the "slow fastball" to "challenge" areas, so it's not fair now to bail on him for it.  The point that we would make is that he can "challenge" with the slider AFTER he has the 95 MPH and the 77 MPH in batter's heads!

Tonight, his "cutter" was swerving an outstanding 7-8 inches slideways, and he obviously loved the feel of it coming out of his hand.  Lesson learned:  Zobrist, who was looking fastball, read slider and crushed it into his power alley.

Next time, locate the slider, or use it as your 3rd pitch.  Do not "challenge" with that slider IF it is your primary pitch on the night.  Even a slider as good as that needs a little lipstick and eye shadow -- a little location, or a 96 fastball setting it up, or something.

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Pitch One:  High 74 MPH Curve, 0-1

Farquhar's first pitch was a Bedard RH curve, just like it was the night before to Zobrist.  It froze him completely.  Even way high in the zone.  If you just joined us, last night might have been "tricking" Zobrist.  Tonight was "Bedard'ing" Zobrist. 

THAT pitch, Farquhar is welcome to challenge with, and if somebody guesses it right, Dr. D will have his back.

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Pitch Two:  86 MPH Changeup?!, 1-1

I wondered what the deuce that 2nd pitch was!  Sure enough, it was a changeup, breaking ARMside and diving nicely (-9 inches relative to his fastball).  It dove below the zone and -- if it had followed a fastball or slider -- would probably have induced a garbage swing.

I don't get the idea of a slow curve followed by a slow changeup way below the zone, but .... that's the beauty of Farquhar, his total irrationality.  So Dr. D is prepared to take the good with the bad.

:: taps chin ::

So you are telling me that Danny Farquhar (I love typing it out, man) has a plus CHANGEUP.  That didn't happen.  I'll believe that Richard Sherman exists before I'll believe Farquhar exists. 

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Pitch Three:  91 MPH Slider, 2-1

Broke down-and-in, into Zobrist's wheelhouse as a lefty.  Still.  It broke "strike-to-ball" and if Zobrist hits that, I'll tip my cap and write it off to who Farquhar is.

Not that fourth pitch.  The fourth pitch was fundamentally easy to hit in a way that the third one wasn't:  you could react to the fourth pitch and easily square it up -- especially since you doubled up on the slider.

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Jeeest a Leeeeetle Too CUTE, Dept.

The man throws 94-98 MPH -- with big rise and nice cutting action, a la Stephen Pryor.  In fact you could characterize Farquhar as having, pretty much, a Stephen Pryor rising fastball -- and he threw Zobrist not a single fastball.  

He threw only one fastball all night!  Wouldn't your offspeed stuff play up if you showed the rising 96 at least once?!  But, hey.  You're a flake and that's why we love ya.

Farquhar's knowledge of the big league game is miniscule.  That's part of what makes him fun, but as he picks up a few little "Do's" and "Don'ts" it will help him.

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