A Schilling breakdown by Schilling

by Randy Booth on Apr 3, 2007 8:25 AM EDT in News

Not sure where to even start. Two words sum it up best, no command. Can't remember a game where I couldn't make adjustments but today was certainly one of those. Not so much the secondary pitches but no fastball command is not something that happens much, if at all, over an entire game (even if the `game' for me only lasts 4 innings).

[...]

8 Hits on 7 different counts. A huge bug for me last year was first pitch hits, which doesn't happen until the final two hits in the fourth today. All five runs score with 2 outs. I had more than ample chances to make this a game, and never did. Inconsistent command and horrific execution cost us the game.

Schilling didn't pitch that well -- that's a given -- but I think he's going to be hard on himself all season long. He could pitch a complete game four hitter and he'll beat himself up mentally about why he gave up those four hits. He's a perfectionist, but he's not going to be perfect everytime.

Like Schill said, he command was way off. His fastball didn't hit his spots and that was his biggest problem, in my opinion. When his fastball was erratic, he had to rely on throwing other pitches for strikes and that tended to result in a hit.

The changeup was obviously off. It was left fat and out over the plate. The movement looked good on it, but hitters were just teeing off on him. The splitters also stayed up in the zone too much. When his splitter hits the dirt, that's when it is at its best.

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Re: A Schilling breakdown by Schilling

I agree with what you said about Schilling being a perfectionist: it's why he's so insufferable to listen to sometimes.

That said, his splitter was hangin' out around belt high for far too many hitters. I thought that, more than his fastball location, was the problem. Trouble with the out-pitch.

"Your best? Losers always whine about 'giving it their best.' Winners go home and fuck the prom queen." "Carla was the prom queen."

by Saberrox on Apr 3, 2007 1:22 PM EDT reply actions

Re: A Schilling breakdown by Schilling

Sorry to double post, but did anyone else read Shaughnessy's article? God, that man is an ass.

"Your best? Losers always whine about 'giving it their best.' Winners go home and fuck the prom queen." "Carla was the prom queen."

by Saberrox on Apr 3, 2007 5:45 PM EDT reply actions

Re: A Schilling breakdown by Schilling

I think Schill will be alright but nit dominant and this is a bad team that's not going to score a lot of runs and can't play the field. Even if he pitches as well as he did over the course of last year he will not win 15.

by bandit07 on Apr 4, 2007 10:25 AM EDT reply actions

Re: A Schilling breakdown by Schilling

"this is a bad team that's not going to score a lot of runs and can't play the field"

que? i'm pretty confident that we'll score more runs than anyone but the yankees. as far as defense, lugo will make a couple mistakes, but he's got great range which will allow him to get to thirty or forty more balls than, say, jeter. and youk, lowell and pedroia are money.

manny's an adventure, and coco's not great, but drew is one of the better RFs around. and tek is very good, even at his age.

"can't play the field." ha.

Just my two cents. Keep the change.

by tommy.otm on Apr 4, 2007 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Re: A Schilling breakdown by Schilling

My own guess is that we come in somewhere in the 3rd-5th range in runs this season. Cleveland will be 2nd. I'd be pleased to be proven wrong, of course.

"Interesting. No wait, the other thing. Tedious." -Bender Bending Rodriguez.

by Allen Chace on Apr 4, 2007 10:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Re: A Schilling breakdown by Schilling

Bandit,
Not sure what you are getting at. This is a team that went how many games in a row without an error? Sure the SS is different, but the RF defense is greatly improved.
They'll hit and score at least 850 runs this season, more then enough.

by sydneysox on Apr 4, 2007 7:24 PM EDT reply actions