First thought: ZOMG Other thoughts: Located his fastball really well tonight - better than I expected him to based on minor league numbers. 4-seam fastball touched 97, 2-seam fastball 93-94 with great sinking action. Curveball looked good, although he mostly used it as a "chase" pitch and only located it for strikes once or twice. Rays hitters were pretty patient and didn't, hence the lack of strikeouts. He threw a changeup a couple times, and it looked pretty average. A nice change of speed, but didn't have the fade that you see from a good changeup. The 2-seam fastball was his best pitch, I think. Against left handers it would fade away on the outside corner, and right handers generally just beat it into the ground.
From Elias: Jarred Cosart's no-hit bid of 6 1/3 innings is the longest no-hit bid in a MLB debut since Bill Slayback (Detroit) went 7 innings without allowing a hit in his MLB debut against the Yankees on June 26, 1972.
Cosart optioned back too Triple-A, Astros must really want Rodon 1. Rodon 2. Appel 3. Cosart 4. Folty 5. Handful of potential WOW
This is what I don't understand... WHY? Why in the world would they option him back? I get the keep him in his normal rotation part, but the Astros seriously think Keuchel, Harrell or Bedard are better?!
The all star break is here, he would sit for 9 days if he stays. Just keeping him on a normal routine.
Yeah, wouldn't make sense to keep him up with him not being needed for a while. The rotation is only set with 4 guys right now. Definitely has a chance to come back in the near future. At worst he should be back up after the deadline when I'd expect Norris and Bedard to be moved.
Cosart wil also now be able to represent in the AAA all-star game. AstrosCounty says ... Why would they send him back to OKC (and I truly hope they don't)? Because the Triple-A All-Star Game is Wednesday? And if the Astros re-set their rotation for their first game on the 19th, they wouldn't need a fifth starter until July 23, which would give Cosart an extra day of rest after the Triple-A ASG to start against Oakland.
His two-seamer is pretty filthy... the one he struck out Luke Scott on last night was 95 with tailing action! If he can locate that pitch consistently, its unhittable at that speed. Hell, Maddux made a career of locating that pitch and he only through it at 88-90 mph. That being said, he will have control issues at some point... and once there's a book out on him, he'll have to make adjustments. All-in-all, a great night for the kid. In other news, the Rays seriously remind me of the late 90's Astros.... they play in a modern version of the Astrodome, they can't hit pitchers they've never seen before, and they're a really likeable team.
Just wanted to add the analysis last night. One thing that needs to be touched was the patience of the TB hitters for the most part. they just didn't seem to swing at balls at all last night. Cosart was locating his fastball at such a great degree. Much like Price, Cosart will need to locate that fastball and worry about the secondary pitches after to the fact. If he cannot locate, he won't experience near as much success. His curve was the interesting pitch of the night for me. It seemed like a faster curve sitting at 80ish MPH, but it was either effective or an afterthought at different points. There was one at bat against Evan Longoria on a 1-0 count that Cosart threw a curve that was just beautiful. Started belt high and then just fell to the bottom corner of the plate. Longoria didn't even move his bat. That being said, there were a lot of 0-2 counts where he would throw curves in the dirt, and I won't say much because it could have been by design. I would just think a player like him would attack, attack, attack instead of trying to get them to swing at junk, but that's just my philosophy. Other things I noticed where how quickly he worked, how he recovered after the first hit, and just the competitor edge. Cosart reminded me of how quickly Oswalt worked. Different pitcher, but the speed was spot on and fantastic. For some reason, I just love seeing pitchers get to the next pitch and work instead of lollygagging. Secondly, when he gave up the first hit, he then threw 2 pitches that were just terrible and easily the worst couple of pitches on the night. Soon after, he recovered and produced a double play. There is a lot to be said about a rook that can go out there, do so well, see it leave, and then come back. He is a competitor. Do well in the ASG, young man. We shall see you soon, and you have given us all something to look forward to later this month. Cannot wait for him to be back up, and I have a hard time believing it will take long.
One thing is for sure is that Cosart will get scouted heavily when he gets called up again. Not saying he cant still be effective, but the hitters he faces will have a much better idea what to expect.
