Here’s a good rule of thumb: if you’re on a five-game winning streak and the sixth game is started by Gerrit Cole and Brad Hand, then a five-game winning streak won’t be good enough.
I didn’t get a chance to talk about Cole’s last start against the Mets much, so let me take some time to do it now. Look at this log of Cole’s pitch speed from the start:
By my count, there are 18 pitches there that are over 98 mph (two over 100) and 10 at or under 86. He threw 76 fastballs or sinkers, and 14 of those were put into play. He threw 28 sliders and only two sliders were put into play. There is no dip in velocity anywhere in that chart; he started out over 98, he ended over 98, and there was no inning in which his fastballs dipped regularly under 96. Early in the game he pounded the strike zone with fastballs, but after that he changed speeds pretty reliably. He used a handful of very slow (well, very slow by Gerrit Cole standards) curveballs to keep hitters completely off-balance. In short, that’s what a dominant performance from a dominant pitcher looks like.
Anyway, I think you can probably tell that I’m pretty excited by how Gerrit Cole has pitched this year, and I’m even more excited now that the offense appears capable of supporting him.
First pitch today is at 12:35. Get your radios/computers ready.
Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
