I guess it was too long for one post. This contains the written review of Bay on the series as well as the screen shots and sequences of games 3 and 4.
Game 3
AB 1
Saunders | SPD | Pitch | Result |
1 | 92 | FB | Called Strike |
2 | 93 | FB | Ball |
3 | 74 | CB | Ball |
4 | 93 | FB | Ball |
5 | 93 | FB | Foul |
6 | 94 | FB | Ground out to 3B |
Patience once again, fouls off a good hitter’s fastball up in the zone in a 3-1 count, then rolls over on an outside FB.
AB 2
Saunders | SPD | Pitch | Result |
1 | 94 | FB | Ball |
2 | 85 | CH | Ball |
3 | 93 | FB | Swinging Strike |
4 | 93 | FB | Fly out RF. |
Couldn't watch... ehhh
AB 3
Saunders | SPD | Pitch | Result |
1 | 83 | CH | Foul |
2 | 95 | FB | Foul |
3 | 84 | CH | Ball |
4 | 82 | CH | Ball in dirt |
5 | 83 | CH | Ball in dirt |
6 | 95 | FB | Foul |
7 | 84 | CH | Ball in dirt |
Couldn't watch... ehhh (this is the only AB that he swings at the first pitch in the entire series)
AB 4
Shields | SPD | Pitch | Result |
1 | 93 | FB | Ball |
2 | 92 | FB | Called Strike |
3 | 81 | CB | Ball |
4 | 92 | FB | Ball |
5 | 93 | FB | Fly out CF |
Gets to a 3-1 count and weakly flys a FB to LF. Looked like he got jammed.
AB 5
Rodriguez | SPD | Pitch | Result |
1 | 81 | CB | Called Strike |
2 | 81 | CB | Swinging Strike |
3 | 81 | CB | Ball in dirt |
4 | 88 | FB | Ball |
5 | 82 | CB | Swinging Strike |
Starts him off with breaking balls and gets him behind in the count. After missing on two pitches he makes him look silly with a CB, the second time he did so that AB.
AB 6
Weaver | SPD | Pitch | Result |
1 | 91 | FB | Called strike |
2 | 80 | SL | Called strike |
3 | 80 | SL | Ball |
4 | 80 | SL | Foul |
5 | 92 | FB | Called strike |
Fouls off the only pitch he swings at in the AB.
Probably Bay's worst game of the series. He struck out twice, and the only time he reached base was a good AB where he walked.
Game 4
AB 1
Lackey | SPD | Pitch | Result |
1 | 93 | FB | Ball |
2 | 81 | CB | Ball in dirt |
3 | 79 | CB | Ball |
4 | 91 | FB | Called strike |
5 | 92 | FB | Ball |
Watches 5 pitches.
AB 2
Lackey | SPD | Pitch | Result |
1 | 80 | CB | Called Strike |
2 | 80 | CB | Swinging Strike |
3 | 81 | CB | Ball in dirt |
4 | 79 | CB | Flyout LF |
Gives him 4 CBs, and Bay swings at the second and fourth. Misses badly on the second, and connects on the fourth with one that hangs a bit. Still doesn’t hit it square, though, as he flies it out to LF.
AB 3
Lackey | SPD | Pitch | Result |
1 | 80 | CB | Ball |
2 | 90 | FB | Called Strike |
3 | 91 | FB | Ball |
4 | 78 | CB | GB 1B to CF |
Lackey once again pounds the low and away part of the zone. After getting ahead 2-1, Bay hits a soft grounder on a CB that should have been fielded by Aybar. He lets the ball go right under his glove.
AB 4
Shields | SPD | Pitch | Result |
1 | 80 | CB | Ball |
2 | 92 | FB | Called Strike |
3 | 92 | FB | Groundrule 2B to RF |
Shields gives him a FB over the heart of the plate and he loops it to RF. Willits dives for it and it goes into the seats. If Willits stands up and catches it off the hop, Bay stays on 1B and the Angels might still be playing today.
Bay went 2-4 on the day with a double and single and scored the game-winning run. Neither was hit well, and the single should never have gotten through the infield.
What have we learned?
Well, I came into this exercise to see if Bay could hit a breaking ball. I've decided that he can, under certain circumstances. He can hit a breaking ball, if it's bad (a hanger or just a bad pitch) or if it's late in the count and he gets lucky on a poorly struck ball.
In the entire series, he never seemed to squarely connect on a decent breaking ball. That is not an issue, though, if he can get hittable fastballs or punish mistakes. You need to start him off with a strike because if you get ahead you can get him to chase a breaking ball down and out of the zone.
Bay is a mistake hitter. The type of hitter that is very patient, he doesn't mind hitting with 2 strikes, and it takes a good pitch to get him out generally. He waits for the pitcher to leave a fastball up in the zone or hang a breaking ball. He is definitely more susceptible to a good breaking ball, but there are few hitters that are not. He won't swing at a pitcher's pitch early in the count. The jury is out on whether or not he will be as successful in a full year in the AL East where evrything is magnified just a bit more. I'll tell you this, though, Crawford could learn a thing or two watching Bay's at bats.