From George King:
Considering Mariano Rivera has given up three, three, three, two, three, four and four homers in the past three seasons, the sight of him surrendering dingers in two straight appearances was unnerving.
While it certainly was a bit unnerving, it is important to note that we go through this every season. Mo strings together a few bad outings and suddenly everyone begins to question whether he is hurt or if age is catching up with him (see BBTN last evening). Then he gets into a groove, and everyone feels silly for doubting him. Prior to the Boston game, Mo had pitched 7 innings and given up no runs on just 6 singles and no walks while striking out 8. It is just two bad games, nothing more. Mariano is fine.
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9 Responses to Mariano's "Slow Start"
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The difference this time is Mo is thorwing 89-90-91 a lot more than he’s throwing 92 and up.
I don’t think it was realistic to expect Mo NOT to have a drop off after off season shoulder surgery, even minor surgery.
How can he possible have the same arm strength if he was in a sling for a good portion of the winter?
Forget throwing, there’s going to be atrophy or at least deconditioning just by wearing a sling, not lifitng it up and carrying gorceries or putting something on the shelf in the garage above your head.
Mo’s cutter doesn’t have enough bite consistantly yet (see many broken bats?). I expect we’ll see the arm strength return when it gets warmer and he’s had more time.
Anyway, I hope so.
He didnt seem to have too much of an issue in his first 7 games. I think that it is nothing, and that he will be the same old Mo this season.
Also, his average speed against Boston on the cutter was 91.82, which seems about right for Mo at this point in his career and what I expected. One game of decreased velocity is not a big deal.
How do you or will we know when age has caught to Mariano?
When he stops performing. If these were the first two outings of the year, I would be more worried. But considering he had been his usual dominant self until these two outings, I have a hard time believing that age just sprung on him from one day to the next.
It’s also unlikely that he had enough time to warm up considering it was 8-1 and Albaladejo let it get out of control pretty quickly. Mo hadn’t pitched since last Friday and had little time to warm up in 40 degree weather. Those are the most likely reasons.
Color me unconcerned. Every April, Mo looks vulnerable, and the media begins to speculate that he is done. And for the rest of the season, he is untouchable.
I’m sorry I just don’t get the hoopla over all of this. Mo looked as good as ever in his first 7 appearances, hell he even threw up a scoreless inning in a tie game for a change.
Yet two bad pitches and he’s suddenly a major concern? Both homeruns came due to his location, not his velocity, and I’m pretty sure the homerun to Granderson was due to not being fully warm, since the pitch Curtis hit was up and over the plate, no where close to Posada’s glove. The pitch to Bay just wasn’t cuting low and away enough.
He’s fine
Actually, I don’t think he looked as good as ever even though he’s been reasonably successful.
He’s been throwing it all over with pinpoint control to get batters out, using guile and location more than having the unhittable cutter to break the bats of lefties especially.
It doesn’t bite like it normally does and that’s a slight loss of arm strength that I expect to see return when it’s warm.