Anaheim -130
It's Loaiza versus Colon. I have attached an article which may give you some more insite on todays game.
Loaiza has work cut out for him
March 16, 2004
BY DOUG PADILLA Staff Reporter Advertisement
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Esteban Loaiza admitted Monday that the cut fastball that keyed his 21-win season last year has not been up to his standards.
The pitch, which was new to Loaiza's arsenal last season, was the main reason he went from journeyman to Cy Young Award runner-up. During some of his nine defeats, the White Sox right-hander struggled to get the pitch over the plate or was hit hard when it dived over the middle of the strike zone.
"The cutter is fine,'' catcher Miguel Olivo said, "but sometimes when his elbow drops down, that's when the cutter comes high a little bit.''
Loaiza said he is confident throwing the pitch on both sides of the plate against left-handed hitters, but it's another story with right-handers.
"I need to start throwing it inside on righties because I'm just throwing it kind of hard, and it's coming in tight and going right over the middle of the plate,'' Loaiza said. "I don't want to do that. I want to work a little harder on that.''
It's not like Loaiza is having a horrible spring, but he has yet to have a dazzling outing like those he had last spring while he was fighting for a spot in the rotation. In two starts, Loaiza has given up five runs (three earned) on 10 hits in seven innings. He has walked two and struck out four.
Manager Ozzie Guillen isn't impressed. After Loaiza threw 80 pitches in four innings his last time out, Guillen is looking for a tidier performance today against the Anaheim Angels and former teammate Bartolo Colon.
"It's going to be a big game for him,'' Guillen said. "I want to see the Loaiza that was [here] last year. I haven't seen it yet. It is [time] for him to go out and perform the way he should perform. I look for him to go out and have a good performance, pitch the way he should be pitching.''
Considering Loaiza has been operating without his best cut fastball and with a decrease in velocity, it is impressive he has done as well as he has.
"My fastball is 90 to 91 [mph] tops,'' he said. "Normally in spring training it's like 92 to 93 and building up to the regular season, where it goes up to 94, 95. I'm right there with the velocity on my cutter -- 86, 87, sometimes 88. I just want to work on my cutter inside to righties and build my velocity.''
Loaiza doesn't plan to throw more cut fastballs than usual against the Angels. He wants to treat it as a regular-season game and throw the cutters when the situation dictates. That way he can tell if the pitch sets up his fastball and changeup.
"When it's going good, it can get people off the plate,'' Loaiza said. "You can actually throw fastballs inside, and they think it's a cutter and it's a ball and they swing and miss. When the cutter is working inside, it helps me a lot throwing other pitches away.''
Loaiza, who has no decisions and a 3.86 ERA this spring, finished last spring 4-2 with a 2.43 ERA. He went on to win his first five regular-season starts and seven of his first eight.
Loaiza will start the Sox' second regular-season game, then will make his second start in the home opener April 13 against the Kansas City Royals.
"It's going to be good [today] because Anaheim is a good test, and that's a team I have to pitch against in the regular season,'' he said. "I'm just going to have to do what I can to throw all my pitches for strikes, especially throwing inside.''
Good Luck
Mr Lock
It's Loaiza versus Colon. I have attached an article which may give you some more insite on todays game.
Loaiza has work cut out for him
March 16, 2004
BY DOUG PADILLA Staff Reporter Advertisement
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Esteban Loaiza admitted Monday that the cut fastball that keyed his 21-win season last year has not been up to his standards.
The pitch, which was new to Loaiza's arsenal last season, was the main reason he went from journeyman to Cy Young Award runner-up. During some of his nine defeats, the White Sox right-hander struggled to get the pitch over the plate or was hit hard when it dived over the middle of the strike zone.
"The cutter is fine,'' catcher Miguel Olivo said, "but sometimes when his elbow drops down, that's when the cutter comes high a little bit.''
Loaiza said he is confident throwing the pitch on both sides of the plate against left-handed hitters, but it's another story with right-handers.
"I need to start throwing it inside on righties because I'm just throwing it kind of hard, and it's coming in tight and going right over the middle of the plate,'' Loaiza said. "I don't want to do that. I want to work a little harder on that.''
It's not like Loaiza is having a horrible spring, but he has yet to have a dazzling outing like those he had last spring while he was fighting for a spot in the rotation. In two starts, Loaiza has given up five runs (three earned) on 10 hits in seven innings. He has walked two and struck out four.
Manager Ozzie Guillen isn't impressed. After Loaiza threw 80 pitches in four innings his last time out, Guillen is looking for a tidier performance today against the Anaheim Angels and former teammate Bartolo Colon.
"It's going to be a big game for him,'' Guillen said. "I want to see the Loaiza that was [here] last year. I haven't seen it yet. It is [time] for him to go out and perform the way he should perform. I look for him to go out and have a good performance, pitch the way he should be pitching.''
Considering Loaiza has been operating without his best cut fastball and with a decrease in velocity, it is impressive he has done as well as he has.
"My fastball is 90 to 91 [mph] tops,'' he said. "Normally in spring training it's like 92 to 93 and building up to the regular season, where it goes up to 94, 95. I'm right there with the velocity on my cutter -- 86, 87, sometimes 88. I just want to work on my cutter inside to righties and build my velocity.''
Loaiza doesn't plan to throw more cut fastballs than usual against the Angels. He wants to treat it as a regular-season game and throw the cutters when the situation dictates. That way he can tell if the pitch sets up his fastball and changeup.
"When it's going good, it can get people off the plate,'' Loaiza said. "You can actually throw fastballs inside, and they think it's a cutter and it's a ball and they swing and miss. When the cutter is working inside, it helps me a lot throwing other pitches away.''
Loaiza, who has no decisions and a 3.86 ERA this spring, finished last spring 4-2 with a 2.43 ERA. He went on to win his first five regular-season starts and seven of his first eight.
Loaiza will start the Sox' second regular-season game, then will make his second start in the home opener April 13 against the Kansas City Royals.
"It's going to be good [today] because Anaheim is a good test, and that's a team I have to pitch against in the regular season,'' he said. "I'm just going to have to do what I can to throw all my pitches for strikes, especially throwing inside.''
Good Luck
Mr Lock
