Matt Moore: All Right In Game 1
by Tommy Rancel on Oct 1, 2011 8:01 AM EDT
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PrintThe match-up looked rough on paper. Matt Moore - in his second major-league start - was slated to face an explosive, predominately right-handed Texas Rangers lineup in Game 1 of the American League divisional series. Starting with Ian Kinsler at the top of the order, the rest of the lineup featured several other notable right-handed batters like Michael Young, Adrian Beltre, Mike Napoli, and Nelson Cruz. The Ballpark in Arlington is also favorable to RHB (just ask Kelly Shoppach). Somewhere in between all that right-handed goodness was the 2010 AL MVP Josh Hamilton.
We soon found out that Matt Moore does not care much for paper match-ups. The left-hander was dominant in his seven innings on Friday - mostly against the five righties that brought concern when he was announced as the starter. The quintet combined to go 0-14 with five strikeouts. In fact, the only hits allowed by Moore – and in the game – came off the left-handed bat of Hamilton.
Similar to David Price, Moore’s approach revolved around his high-octane fastball. The fastball was so good, he rarely needed to use his secondary offerings; surprising considering how well the Rangers do against the heat. Then again, seeing a pitcher like Moore throwing 95-98 mph from the left side is not a commonality, and certainly not in seven-inning doses. It also helps that the Texas hitters had never faced the 22-year-old before.
The fastball diet was particularly effective against the "five Longorias" in the Texas lineup. Combined, they saw 60 of Moore’s 98 pitches. An overwhelming majority (77%) of those pitches were fastballs. The strategy was employed early as he retired Kinsler to led off the bottom of the first inning. Kinsler saw nine pitchers in that at-bat. All nine pitches were fastballs.
Moore looked his best against two dangerous lefty mashers: Mike Napoli and Nelson Cruz. Each slugger struck out twice and each on different pitches. Napoli went down swinging on a changeup and had another swinging strikeout on a breaking ball. Each of Cruz's strikeouts also came on a whiff. In the first inning, he swung and missed a mid-90s fastball and later came up empty swinging at a breaking ball.
The off-speed pitch was seldom used by Moore; however, Michael Young saw a change-up in each of his three at-bats. Their final encounter ended on one pitch - a change-up. Adrian Beltre, on the other hand, saw nothing but the hard stuff. He was retired on three fastballs the first time up, and two fastballs the second. Moore needed just one fastball to put him away the third time.
The antithesis of pitching backwards, Moore's method of collecting outs is the the opposite of what we will see from James Shields in Game 2. Meanwhile, considering the effectiveness of the fastball against the Rangers right-handed batters, we may see a similar attack attempted by David Price. At any rate, this Moore kid looks like a keeper.
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Too early to get this feeling, I know...
But if Shields is right today, and Helly starts game 3 at the Trop, maybe Price doesn’t even need to pitch this series?
I’m still walking on air from Wednesday, really the all of September. Pretty hard to come down now.
They haven't announced a game 3 starter yet. Guess it depends on what the series looks like after tonight.
If they’re up 2-0, I’m guessing they wouldn’t mind skipping Hellickson since he’s probably pitched a little more than they like.
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I'd guess
giving Price an extra day of rest, if up 2 games, would be the way Joe would go.
Price hasn’t had the fantastic movement or location the last couple of times out (velo is fine) so he may need an extra day of rest. I bet Maddon would love to go with Helly, get the sweep, and give Price an extended rest.
Moore in '12
The MLB Player’s Association should file a protest if the Rays try to play the ‘Arbitration Clock Game’ with him by sending him to Durham until July. He is ’MOORE" than ready! One of the starters need to be traded for a bat this winter to open up a spot in the rotation for him next year.
Rays didn't play the arbitration game with Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson
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Youre talking to the service time champs here, 6 years running.
Why tire him out early anyways, he will be up in June.
Ain’t it something, we're born to hula.
You are correct
If the Rays did try to push Moore back to the minors the MLBPA certainly would have a gripe with the owners. This certainly could lead to an arbitration case as from other reports from stories on MLBTR it isn’t acceptable to keep a guy down simply for service time (even though everyone does it) but it explains why there is often a 10 day lag or so from super 2 date to call up and seldom the very exact day. This 7-10 day period provides owners/GM with some cover.
Hopefully, the Rays will have a deal worked out over the winter to sign Matt Moore to a long term deal in the same way that they locked up Evan Longoria. The deal will have all the bells and whistles of ‘out’ clauses for arbitration and club option for 2 free agent years.
Hey Tommy
did Moore double up more on the off speed pitches more frequently 2nd and 3rd time through the order?
I think you guys are missing the point
of the effectiveness of the change up. My understanding is that the changeup itself is easy to hit. What is hard for the batter is not knowing what is being thrown. David Price had a bad outing last game he pitched,because even the idiots in the SS broadcast booth Knew what pitch Ugly Face was getting on 3-2 right before he hit the salami.
Even if Matt only throws the change infrequently, he keeps them guessing. That is what you want the change up to do for you.
I couldnt find any real pattern in how he used it
He threw most of his off-speed pitches to Michael Young and scattered out the breaking balls to Napoli & Cruz.
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by Tommy Rancel on Oct 1, 2011 1:03 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I wouldn't say it was routine
But yeah, it’s a play Joyce should make. And probably does if he’s completely healthy,
Or good at playing in the OF, still think he ends up at 1B before it's said and done
and there goes our season
OTM's biggest Clutch Carl fan.
by gizmosandy on Sep 11, 2011 3:59 PM EDT reply actions
by Sandy Kazmir on Oct 1, 2011 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't think he's bad at playing the outfield when he's completely healthy
But he’s certainly not good. “Serviceable” is probably the right word. And moving him to first might mean he’s healthy more often, so I’m good with that.
That's fair, I wonder if he would play better in LF as his arm doesn't seem that great in RF and most teams seem to have their better OF in RF
It probably comes down as much to being spoiled by the Zobrists, Fulds, Uptons, and Jennings of the world
and there goes our season
OTM's biggest Clutch Carl fan.
by gizmosandy on Sep 11, 2011 3:59 PM EDT reply actions
by Sandy Kazmir on Oct 1, 2011 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Coming up there was talk about him being able to play CF.
It’s pretty sweet to have someone like him as our worst defensive OF.
Give it up Mr Kaz
Joyce moving to 1b ain’t goin to happen. This isn’t beer league were the guy that owns a 1b mit gets to play there.
I'm not saying this post-season, but if he can work on it in the offseason and become an average defensive 1B then it really helps a lot of other issues
as we won’t have to get raped in a deal to get a legit prospect over there.
and there goes our season
OTM's biggest Clutch Carl fan.
by gizmosandy on Sep 11, 2011 3:59 PM EDT reply actions
by Sandy Kazmir on Oct 1, 2011 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions
You have to understand my position on this Mr. Devil
I am very slightly biased toward our current 1b. I will not be happt until he gets a statue built of him in the rotunda
There's precedent for this if he falls to his death in front of his child
and there goes our season
OTM's biggest Clutch Carl fan.
by gizmosandy on Sep 11, 2011 3:59 PM EDT reply actions
Good point
I didn’t think the fake heart attack would work. I thought it was a stupid move on his part.
by Landlord on Oct 1, 2011 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Which is of course how anyone in your position should feel
I was just pointing out that I don’t think Sandy was taking a shot at the current 1B as much as he was pointing out where Mr. Joyce’s talents might be best served.
I'm not saying I've been touching myself to highlights of Matt Moore all morning.
But I’m not saying I haven’t been either.
@RealNolenBailey
by Hatfield on Oct 1, 2011 11:34 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Tommy
Why did you use this picture of Matt Moore in your headline? You could have used the picture of him wearing his feather boa. Matt looks absolutely stunning in his boa.
Word on the street ,is MLB will let him wear the boa in the bullpen,but not in the dugout. This could affect his decision to stay in the starting rotation.
Tigers fan stopping to by to say congrats on getting in and good luck against the Rangers...
I hope we can take care of the Damn Yanks and play the Rays in the ALCS.
Reporter: What would you say a Greg Studrawa offense is like? Stud:
"Attack and be very physical…fly around…attacking, come after you and come after you and come after you…." Me: I love this answer.
GET TO THE RIM HEAT (and SKY)! ATTACK THE PAINT!
Josh Hamilton tweeted that.
It’s quite easily demonstrably false, for anyone who cares to look at pitch fx.
Yeah, I showed someone pitch fx and they just ignored it, saying there eyes could see the FB was straight.
It would be cool if there was some way to graph when the pitch moves. That would really help for offspeed pitches.
Three D Technology
is on the way. As soon as we can get the dumbass umpires out of the way of blocking the camera angle ,the better off we all will be.
I honestly think when all the stations adopt straight back cameras, this will help.
Having the camera at the trop this year and comparing it to what I see in other stadiums has really shown me how much the offset camera can fool my eyes, not just on location, but on movement.
It's pretty clear to anyone that understands baseball that Moore's fb has excellent movement
You shouldnt need f/x to prove that to someone
Yep. Hamilton sounded like a hater.
I aske Kevin Goldstein for good measure and he has Moore’s FB has “wiggle”
www.espn1040.com, www.theprocessreport.com, www.bloombergsports.com Twitter @trancel
by Tommy Rancel on Oct 1, 2011 1:07 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Sometimes a fb can flatten out...
Maybe that’s what happened when he faced Hammy. I dont remember him getting too many fastballs vs Moore, so maybe it’s a classic SSS. But, yes, it des sound like some hatin.
Perhaps this can help
Also really encouraged that his last pitches were still buzzing 95
and there goes our season
OTM's biggest Clutch Carl fan.
by gizmosandy on Sep 11, 2011 3:59 PM EDT reply actions
by Sandy Kazmir on Oct 1, 2011 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Love that the four seamer really starts to turn over and then bore into lefties over that last 15 feet
and there goes our season
OTM's biggest Clutch Carl fan.
by gizmosandy on Sep 11, 2011 3:59 PM EDT reply actions
by Sandy Kazmir on Oct 1, 2011 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Rangerfan with a question
I’ve just started following the Rays this year, being fascinated with how they do more with less than anyone…..why are you people upset about using the arbitration clock? Wouldn’t you rather have Moore for a half year next season and an extra season at the end of his protection timeline, or would you just prefer to lose him a year earlier? And you WILL lose him, you know?
No we will not lose him you Know.
But you will lose this series you Know. Because you lost Cliff Lee, you do know this, AMIRITE.
Because we have trouble delaying gratification, and want to maximize playoff chances now.
But when we step back, we’re thankful that our FO takes a disciplined long-term view (some of us, at least).
Some of us don't look at it as delaying gratification
Some of us look at it as a missed opportunity to generate playoff money that will generate moore income so that the franchise has moore income to generate moore income.
And some of us think that if we don't sign him to a long term deal, we will lose that "extra year" anyway when we trade him
I’m not arguing that the process hasn’t worked for the most part. I just disagree with it sometimes. Which is part of what makes baseball fun to follow. This is art, after all, not science.
You can make a pretty good argument, Mr. Landlord.
Especially when you take into account the greater value of money now than in the future. The problem with framing it in those types of quantitative money —> value terms, is that I’m completely certain that Friedman and Company are way better at than I am. They’re clearly following a process, and it’s the type of process that they’re clearly qualified for, so I tend to defer.
I can understand your line of thinking Mr. Whelk
and find it a very logical approach to take.I would only suggest that you take a look at how others in FO positions look at this and also take it under consideration. I don’t see this as a right or wrong position to take.
Most Rays fans understand what we're up against and begrudgingly accept that it's a good move. Doesn't mean it's easy to sit through.
and there goes our season
OTM's biggest Clutch Carl fan.
by gizmosandy on Sep 11, 2011 3:59 PM EDT reply actions
by Sandy Kazmir on Oct 1, 2011 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks for linking to the Passan piece.
He gets some pitch types wrong (calls some changeups sliders), but a good read.
I didn’t mean to come across as a typical opposing-team-fan wiseguy. When I found myself angry at Carlson for squeezing Matt from time to time yesterday, I realized that my heart was with the Rays here, even though I’m a lifetime Texan. Point is, sometimes when when we’re too close to the situation, we don’t properly recognize the genius in front of us.
And face it……and I know it’s not the fault of those who post here……but the Tampa area isn’t going to support a MLB franchise to the point where they can keep their star players. You could not possibly have a more attractive team to follow, and we get more fans to high school football games in my town than you get to your baseball games. I keep reading where things would be better if you relocated across the Bay to Tampa, but I just checked, and your NFL team’s stadium is in Tampa and you don’t go to those games, either.
No offense intended.
Of course you meant offense, but it's ok we've heard this tripe enough that we recognize it's about the one thing that opposing fans can sling mud about
Considering our payroll is slightly higher than what the Rays receive in revenue sharing/central fund then the team can absolutely continue to win games provided they continue to be able to sell high and buy low on players. We root for laundry here not the name on the back. That can get frustrating when players are spun off to bring in the next wave of talent, but it’s what we do. And I find it far preferable to signing guys like Lackey or Burnett. Daniels does a great job over there as well so I’m not going to cast any stones.
The Napoli move was pretty slick and they’ve really built that farm system up. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of you guys down the road so you may want to look at the tone you use around here as I, personally, look forward to great conversation. Unfortunately, others around here are quick with the ban trigger or can’t pose an argument quite as well and will resort to slinging that mud right back. I hope you’re looking more for this approach and if that’s the case I hope you enjoy your stay here.
Also, we use headers here.
and there goes our season
OTM's biggest Clutch Carl fan.
by gizmosandy on Sep 11, 2011 3:59 PM EDT reply actions
We have heard enough of this trash by turning on ESPN, you know.
It would be nice if opposing fans with no idea of situations would stay out of it and stick to areas where they are knowledgable.
by mr. maniac on Oct 1, 2011 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Carlson
The beauty of Fox Trac or whatever the other networks call their “box” is that you pay attention, you can clearly see how the established stars get better treatment from the umps. Nowhere was that more clear than when Carlson called a series of borderline strikes on Gentry and Andrus, while, in between, he walked Kinsler on 1 ball and 5 strikes. And, I don’t know how you guys stand playing 36 games against the Yankees and Red Sox, where now you have the strike zone box to show you exactly how badly their opponents get screwed.
I tried to get angry at Carlson.
But then I realized that he was just being completely random out there. He would call one pitch a ball, and then the next pitch in the exact same spot a strike. He was just having a really bad day, and not only to Moore (though CJ got a large zone for about half an inning that Moore never got).
Sorry for the misunderstanding
I sometimes make my points awkwardly, so give me a pass on that. My original observation was based on the idea that Friedman seems to want to control a player between the ages of say….24-28 instead of 22-26, giving you control of the player in years that should be closer to his prime. Myself, I think that is genius, and not a policy to modify for expediency’s sake.
I know you guys take a lot of ridiculous pot shots about your venue. Of course, I have just this year become aware that every time the ESPN boys work a game, they spend half their time making fun of the venue..just like they did when we had our Astrodome. They had a big time this year in that game that the lightning temporariy knocked a bank of lights in the Trop. So, last night, when the whole country was inconvenienced by watching the Tigers-Yankees game get washed out, I noticed that not one of them mentioned that if they had a stadium like the Trop, they would be playing baseball.
It's pretty astute for you to pick up on the shifting of when we want to p(l)ay guys
If Upton and Crawford had gotten the same treatment I wonder if they would have fixed some of their glaring holes in the minors. If you only get a player for 6 years or in quite a few cases 4-5 it would be better to have those players come up and immediately make an impact and remain with the team through the majority of their prime. Thanks for using a header and being more friendly.
and there goes our season
OTM's biggest Clutch Carl fan.
by gizmosandy on Sep 11, 2011 3:59 PM EDT reply actions
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