Q. Remind me where BB was after his last start?
A. With a newfound ability to miss bats. This was based on an 81 MPH slider that he was snapping off with a lot more elan than he'd showed in the past, and he used it cunningly to set up high fastballs for swingthroughs. The question was whether he'd reproduce this sequencing against the Jays.
.
Q. How was his slider Wednesday?
A. Going into the game, the mainframe was programmed to sort for three things:
- Arm action that had the Jays taking some half positions.
- Spin that resulted in a 4x4 break, indicating an enthusiastic finish.
- Aggressive, attacking deployment of the slider that led to fastball swingthroughs later in the count.
.
Q. How was the spin?
A. That one's verifiable: the break was about 2x4. He was a bit less than last time out, but still in 2H 2012 form generally.
.
Q. How was the arm action?
A. Not quite as good as last time out, but easily adequate.
.
Q. How was the aggressiveness on the slider?
A. He threw it constantly -- 35 times against 46 fastballs. So that's the big thing: he looks as though he's really bought in to the idea that he can rely on his change speed.
Funny thing, though: he'd throw the slider and then come in with a fastball ... low in the strike zone. (?!) That is the reason that his swings and misses were trimmed back to 7/82, and his strikeouts were cut back to 4. Read the location chart for yusself, man. For whatever reason, he was pounding the knees early. That's not Beavan's game, this year or ever - check his fly ball ratios.
The last couple innings, the 7th and 8th, bam, he took the Jays up in the zone and WHAM, three strikeouts in his last six outs. Who knows what he was thinking. Scared of the Jays' power, maybe?
.
Q. He threw only 82 pitches in eight innings.
A. After 25 pitches, he was 21-4. Twenty-one strikes and four balls.
Meanwhile, the Jays were attacking the first pitches. That was clearly and obviously the game plan: the kid wants to steal strike one. Let's take him off the fences!
John Jaso nimbly switched over to a change-speed game. The Jays would load up for first pitch fastballs, and here came the slider. 0-and-1. Brooks had him for 35 sliders -- 27 of them for strikes. That's tough to do against the air, babe. So, credit John Jaso for winning the chess match.
.
Q. Okay ... 7.2 innings, 7 hits, 3 runs, 0:4 control ratio, two solo homers. Was it basically New Beavan or Old Beavan?
A. It was basically New Beavan - the new Beavan with his B game, that is. The Blue Jays lead the AL in runs scored... check that, they were leading, before they ran into the buzzsaw that is the Seattle Mariners. Beavan went 8 innings, 3 runs, on a night where I didn't feel he was throwing that great. There were seven hits, but a couple of them were weird chops and bloopers.
That's one thing you gotta give him. He's not going to beat himself. On a night with his B game, he's still not going to walk five guys.
The guy threw 64 strikes and 18 balls. That's practically a Pineda-problem game - the hitters can just cut loose knowing the ball's going to be there. To throw 64/82 strikes, against the Jays, and get away with it, you're doing something right.
.
Q. Beavan is now an SSI Best Bet?
A. Assuredly NOT.
He's a guy with a quirky skill -- excellent fastball command and a strong commitment to throwing strikes. It appears that he may have come up with the slider that ignites his game.
It's worth watching. Wednesday night, he came back in with 45% sliders and they couldn't do much with him. The Beavan Watch is "on."
