We have not been to a place to do a family activity since March, so I will say in advance that yesterday for a few hours together after the pool was great. The kids had an explosion, I felt human for a moment, and the setup there felt really safe. The only problem? Because it took so long and was so fresh and exciting, I forgot to do something obvious: apply sunscreen to myself. I’m burrrrrnnnnneddddd up.
• I found this remark by David Ross about Craig Kimbrel’s craving * extremely * interesting:
Ross said the focus with Kimbrel is to get pitch characteristics back to previous levels. That means limiting the use of exchanges, which Kimbrel had talked about more.
“We found that change can sometimes lower his arm and really get some things that can create bad habits.”
– Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) August 9, 2020
• As we have discussed, Kimbrel has been working on the change for years, with apparently more emphasis this year in an attempt to reduce the stress of his fastball speed decline (a good change, along with the curveball, would “make it faster ‘It beats a bit, even if the fastball is 95-96 instead of 98-99). However, he has still actually put it into games. I mean, if his work on the change negatively affects his arm lock on his other pitches, then it is disconnected as quickly as possible.
• Speaking of which, the more data we collect this year, the more we can see exactly how off Kimbrel has been. His release point is so far off this year – much lower than usual * AND * more laterally – and even more so, he frees his fastball and curveball from two completely different spots:
Not only is that suggestive that his mechanics are out of whack, as he and the Cubs have said, it’s also a pretty easy way for boss to know if they’re about to get a curveball or a fastball! No wonder batters were so fully and easily able to spit on the curveball and sit on the fastball. They can simply diagnose the pitch at diagnosis while remaining focused only on a particular zone. So, if it’s a fastball in that zone, then swing it (hence the OUTRAGEOUS exit speeds), and if it’s anything else, take it. And since Kimbrel’s command was bad, that process has turned out very well for her.
• This is of course easier noticed than fixed. Maybe there’s a physical reason for the problems here. Maybe fixing the release point issue will cost him even more speed than movement. Maybe the problem can be solved with the release point that he can not throw any streaks at all. Beats me. But the next time he has a good or bad outing, this is the game I will check out.
• Heads up: the Eero wi-fi system is currently on a big sale at Amazon, so if you have considered a mesh system, then check it out. #ad
If you missed the update yesterday, the Cardinals took an extra positive test this weekend, outfielder Lane Thomas, who apparently had direct exposure to one of Friday’s new positives:
Thomas shares an apartment with Ryan Helsley, who is already testing positive. https://t.co/Da1cqf6NwV
– Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) August 10, 2020
• Also remember that second part there: two of the members of the cardinals were sick enough that they needed to get some treatment in the hospital (they were not admitted, but still).
One clear point for the Cardinals is that they will soon be able to get some players back from the outbreak, even before they missed any games:
“The delay between games has been long enough that some of the first players to test positive for the virus will have missed the required eight days and may be eligible to begin the return process and testing.” #stlcards @stltoday #MLB https://t.co/GeDWEU7Y5L
– Derrick S. Goold (@dgoold) August 9, 2020
• The Cubs bullpen has been improved! I mean, you know that anecdotal from watching the games, but it’s true by the numbers:
Update on the Reds’ Bullpen: 7.99 https://t.co/2zg36e2mGl
– Matt Clapp (@TheBlogfines) August 9, 2020
• … of course, a 7.30 ERA is still comically bad, which underscores how rough things were in that first week. Imagine you are 10-3 with a 7.30 bullpen ERA. Oh, and one of those three losses was an imposition from a novice pitcher. Pretty remarkable.
• Eep:
Sympathy for the devil? Not in this city. pic.twitter.com/NBYvMzdW4d
– Paul Sullivan (@PWSullivan) August 9, 2020
