I'd like to see Rondon in some more high-leverage situations. I think us having him increase his % of breaking balls thrown will make his mid 90s fastball play up. He could be good.
Also our offense is going to come around (we started slow offensively last year too and we all wrung our hands) and our run differential is going to start looking ridiculous. Our starting pitching is just dominant.
Yeah. Didn't see the PBP, but 0 H / 0 ER / 0 R / 0 BB still counts as a quality-save though, right ? Really want him doing better, but it seems hopeless. He's been suspect since Day 1 @NYY.
He has yet to give up a run in a save situation this year. I did give the Twins usher hope as I detailed Giles' failings in the playoffs and his sketchy start this season.
Win is a win. Our offense is struggling but it will come around. JV=stud and with how bad they have looked this past week, we are still 8-2. I will take it.
I still think Giles can be reclamed. Is that the verb for a reclamation project? Anyway, his confidence is shot. He's absolutely in Lidge post Pujols mode. But I believe it can happen...at least, he can come back to being solid/relevant/a good option. He's never going to be a Rivera, Wagner, Lidge, stud closer. But he can be a reasonable closer and a great setup man IMO..he just needs to find himself. I'm very much for him getting low-er (not low) leverage work and finding his way back. We need him to take up real innings to prevent anyone else (esp. the Harris's and Devo's of the world who have been taxed in the past) from being overworked. I'll add...he shouldn't be traded at this low point in his value. That's for damn sure. And let's not forget that Verlander (or was it Devo? forgetting..) almost gave up the same HR, just barely foul.
They're very similar pitchers. In regards to Devenski... there's a good chance his changeup plays up in the 9th, where some batters end up getting themselves out. He will have to mix it up enough. Lineups have picked up on the change after repetitive views. Believe it or not, Peacock’s trade value was once even lower than Giles. Guys can bounce back... but it’s going to take some major work on his end. He can’t be effective if he’s not inducing swing/misses on the slider.
unlike Lidge, I don't see why Giles would be shook. Every pitcher got lit up in the post season. Which moment do you guys think made him "unravel" ? I still think he'll get it together for the regular season.
He's been shown to be ineffective in stretches over the last 3 years... where either his mechanics get sloppy, he loses confidence, or both. I don't believe this is truly just a mental breakdown. Lidge went from one of the best ever closer debut's of all time to falling off a cliff... there was a little bit more of a gap in performance there simply because of how good he was at his peak.
[Premium Post] Great win last night, especially with Giles so effortlessly picking up the save in a high pressure situation. Fantastic to see him pounding the strike zone with 85mph cement mixer sliders. Opposing batters' best efforts yield only long foul balls. -AJ Hinch
I'm not going to lie....I was holding my breath when Giles pitched.....glad that one was foul. *exhale*
You're assuming he was "raveled" in the first place? ETA: to be totally fair to Giles last night, that was possibly the worst climate possible for a breaking ball. Verlander and Peacock struggled with their sliders too.
