Matz Makes Mince Meat of Senators Over 7, BMets Win 3-0 (Gifs, Pitch Coverage)

Binghamton Mets @ Harrisburg Senators

August 10, 2014

Steven Matz @ James Simmons

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Binghamton	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	7	1
Harrisburg	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0

W: Matz (5-3, 2.48 ERA); L: Simmon (2-3, 5.85 ERA); Save: Fontanez (1)

The Highlights:

Pitchers

Matz – 7 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 SO, 103 Pitches (69 Strikes), 7 GO: 5 FO

Randy Fontanez (4.03 ERA) – 2 IP, 3 SO, 3 GO

Batters

Brandon Nimmo – 2-3, 3B (3), RBI (20), BB

Dilson Herrera – 1-4, SO, GIDP

Travis Taijeron – 1-4, R, 2B (27), SO

T.J. Rivera – 1-4, R, RBI (19), SO

Wilfredo Tovar – 1-2, R, 2B (8), RBI (22), SF

Recap:

Steven Matz took care of the Senators very effectively this past Sunday afternoon, leading Binghamton to a series win over Harrisburg. The Senators made Matz work over the first three innings of the game (60 pitches through 3 IP), but they could never get the big hit off of him, and he shut them down with efficiency the rest of his outing. Randy Fontanez came in for the final two innings and never gave Harrisburg a chance. The Mets offense wasn’t able to put much together against the Harrisburg pitching either, as they struck out 12 times in the game, but Brandon Nimmo provided all the offense they would need when he brought Wilfredo Tovar home from 3B on and RBI triple in the 3^rd. The Mets would add two more insurance runs in the 4^th, but barely threatened the rest of the way.

Matz was fun to watch, as always. His fastball was sitting 92-93 MPH most of the night (per the announcers, who barely shared the velocity readings), which is down a little from the last start I caught, but scoreboard readings are known to be off. He went mostly fastball/changeup the first time through the order, and then switched to mostly fastball/curveball for the rest of his outing. I give several examples of the good curves below, as well as his pitch sequences. He did a good job of mixing up his pitches for most of the start, as he rarely doubled up on the same pitch in the same location. He seemed to really benefit from increased use of the curveball, as he was much more efficient after he started using it regularly. He did have a few pitches sail up and 1B side on him as a result of a mechanical issue. It appeared like there was something off with his follow through that didn’t let him reach his normal release point those few times – first with a few fastballs when he walked Martinson in the 2^nd, and again later with a curveball.

The way he moved his fastball around the zone while mixing in the curveball and occasional change-up kept hitters off balance most of the night and was impressive, but got me thinking about Thor. Thor has a similar arsenal from the right side, except Thor throws harder than Matz – Matz can reach 97 MPH too, just not as frequently. Thor’s problem is that hitters wait on his 95-97+ MPH heater, often fouling the pitch off until they can make good contact or Thor drops the Mjolnir. Matz ended up in the same boat early in Sunday’s start, engaging in several long at bats, including an 11-pitch battle to start the game. But, as I’ve been saying, he changed his approach some and pitched much more efficiently the rest of the game, requiring just 55 pitches for the final 15 outs (while facing the minimum 15 batters) after letting the first two reach in the 3^rd (compared to 40 pitches for the first 6 outs and two batters faced).

Gif Highlights

After the first six Mets of the game were retired in order, Tovar led off the 3^rd with this double.

Tovar finds the gap for a double

With Matz on deck, Kyle Johnson was up there looking for a hit, but he’d line out to the SS, which meant Tovar was unable to advance. Matz would follow with a groundout to the SS, which did advance Tovar to 3B. That’s when Nimmo came up with this big triple.

Nimmo picks up a big RBI triple

In the 4^th inning, Travis Taijeron got the rally started with a one-out double.

Taijeron's hits this double a long way

T.J. Rivera would drive him in with this single into LF.

This made it a 2-0 Mets lead

Xorge Carrillo followed with a single to RF on a perfectly executed hit’n’run play, so Rivera ended up at 3B. Tovar followed with a fly ball to CF that would drive in Rivera for a sac fly. Unfortunately, Carrillo tried to tag from 1B when he saw the throw going home, but it was cut off and he was a dead duck at 2B. The Mets would strike out in the 5^th, but Nimmo and Dilson tried to get a little two-out rally going. Nimmo drew a walk and Dilson followed with his only hit of the night.

The Mets would have only one more hit left in their bats, this Nimmo single leading off the 8^th – he would be erased on a Dilson GIDP.

Nimmo had two hits Sunday

Randy Fontanez came in and picked up three strikeouts in his two innings of work:

Cole Leonida swinging to lead off the 8^th.

Here's the 0-1 hook from Randy

Went back to the hook to finish him on 1-2

PH Caleb Ramsey swinging for the 2^nd out in the 8^th.

Blew the 0-1 fastball by him

Then came back with this curve that just drops out of the zone

Cutter Dykstra swinging for the 2^nd out in the 9^th.

Double ouch for Cutter, as he took the K and the pitch off of his shoulder

Matz Pitch Coverage:

Table 1 – Breaking down pitch count by type and inning

Count (Strikes)	1^st	2^nd	3^rd	4^th	5^th	6^th	7^th	Total
Fastball	13 (8)	14 (9)	11 (8)	8 (4)	4 (2)	5 (5)	7 (5)	62 (41)
Change-up	4 (3)	5 (4)	4 (3)	1 (0)	2 (2)	0	2 (2)	18 (14)
Breaking Ball	2 (2)	1 (0)	6 (4)	3 (1)	0	4 (2)	7 (5)	23 (14)
Total	19 (13)	20 (13)	21 (15)	12 (5)	6 (4)	9 (7)	16 (12)	103 (69)

Table 2 – Breaking down pitch results by type

Strike %
Total	Call	Sw	Foul

BIP%
LD	GB	FB	PU

Results
AB	BABIP	ISO	K

Fastball

66.1

6.5

4.8

40.3

.111

.000

Change-up

77.8

5.6

27.8

.250

.111

Breaking Ball

60.9

34.5

13.0

8.7

100

1.00

.000

1^st inning

1) Quincy Latimore struck out swinging (K/Sw)

a. Fastball, belt high and outside – ball 1-0

b. Fastball, knee high and inside corner – foul 1-1

c. 92 MPH Fastball, thigh high and outside – ball 2-1

d. Fastball, middle – foul 2-2

e. Fastball, belt high and outer half – foul 2-2

f. Change-up, belt high and outside corner – foul 2-2

g. Fastball, thigh high and inside – ball 3-2

h. Change-up, knee high over the middle – foul 3-2

i. Fastball, thigh high and outside corner – foul 3-2

j. Fastball, belt high and inside corner – foul 3-2

k. Curveball, bounced over the middle – swinging strike 3

2) Adrian Sanchez flied out to Nimmo (8/F)

a. Fastball, belt high and outside corner – foul 0-1

b. Fastball, letter high and outside – ball 1-1

c. Change-up, belt high over the middle

3) Cutter Dykstra struck out looking (K/Lo)

a. Fastball, letter high over the middle – ball 1-0

b. Fastball, thigh high and outside corner – swinging strike 1-1

c. Change-up, thigh high and outside – ball 2-1

d. Fastball, thigh high and outside corner – foul 2-2

e. Curveball, thigh high and inside corner – called strike 3

2^nd inning

1) Kevin Keyes doubled off the RF wall (D9/F)

a. Change-up, knee high and outside corner – foul 0-1

b. Fastball, thigh high and inside – ball 1-1

c. Change-up, knee high and outside corner

2) Jason Martinson walked (BB)

a. Fastball, letter high and outside – ball 1-0

b. Fastball, above the belt and over the middle – foul bunt 1-1

c. Fastball, neck high over the middle – ball 2-1

d. Fastball, letter high and inside corner – ball 3-1

e. Fastball, thigh high and inside corner – foul 3-2

f. Fastball, thigh high and outside corner – foul 3-2

g. Curveball, low and outside corner – ball 4

3) Oscar Tejeda struck out swinging (K/Sw)

a. Fastball, belt high over the middle – foul 0-1

b. Change-up, knee high and outside corner – foul 0-2

c. Change-up, knee high and inside corner – foul 0-2

d. Fastball, letter high over the middle – swinging strike 3

4) Rick Hague flied out to the RF warning track (9/F)

a. Fastball, thigh high and outside corner – foul 0-1

b. Fastball, belt high and outside corner

5) Cole Leonida flied out to Nimmo (8/F)

a. Fastball, belt high and outside – ball 1-0

b. Fastball, knee high and outside corner – foul 1-1

c. Change-up, shin high and outside – ball 2-1

d. Fastball, thigh high and over the middle

3^rd inning

1) James Simmons reached on a fielding error by Herrera – dropped the grounder (E4/G)

a. Change-up, knee high and outside corner

2) Latimore singled through the SS hole (S7/G)

a. 93 MPH Fastball, thigh high and outside corner – strike 0-1

b. Change-up, belt high and outside corner – ball 1-1

c. Fastball, above the belt and outside – ball 2-1

d. Fastball, knee high over the middle – foul 2-2

e. Fastball, head high and outside – ball 3-2

f. Fastball, knee high and inside corner – foul 3-2

g. Change-up, shin high and inside corner

3) Sanchez hit a grounder at Herrera to start a double play (463/G)

a. Curveball, outside corner and low – ball 1-0

b. Fastball, knee high and inside – ball 2-0

c. Fastball, knee high and outside corner – foul bunt 2-1

d. Fastball, thigh high and outside corner – foul 2-2

e. Change-up, thigh high and outside corner

4) Dykstra struck out swinging (K/Sw)

a. Curveball, thigh high and inside corner – strike 0-1

b. Curveball, belt high and outside corner – strike 0-2

c. Fastball, belt high and inside corner – foul 0-2

d. Curveball, bounced and outside – ball 1-2

e. Fastball, thigh high and inside corner – foul 1-2

f. Curveball, knee high and inside corner – foul 1-2

g. Fastball, belt high over the middle – foul 1-2

h. Curveball, thigh high over the middle– foul tip into the mitt for strike 3

4^th inning

1) Keyes walked (BB)

a. Curveball, knee high and inside corner – strike 0-1

b. Change-up, shin high and inside corner – ball 1-1

c. Fastball, thigh high and inside – ball 2-1

d. Fastball, letter high and outside – ball 3-1

e. Fastball, knee high and inside corner – ball 4 (Looked like a strike)

2) Martinson lined out to Johnson (7/L)

a. Fastball, thigh high and outside – ball 1-0

b. 92 MPH Fastball, belt high and outside corner – strike 1-1

c. 94 MPH Fastball, belt high over the middle – swinging strike 1-2

d. Curveball, thigh high and outside corner – ball 2-2

e. Fastball, thigh high over the middle

3) Tejeda hit a grounder at Tovar to start a doule play (643/G)

a. Curveball, shin high and inside – ball 1-0

b. Fastball, thigh high and outside corner

5^th inning

1) Hague singled to RF (S9/L)

a. Fastball, belt high over the middle

2) Leonida flied into a double play – Hague tried to tag up from 1B (84/F)

a. Change-up, knee high over the middle

3) Simmons lined out to Johnson (7/L)

a. Fastball, belt high and outside – ball 1-0

b. Fastball, knee high and inside – ball 2-0

c. Fastball, thigh high and outer half – strike 2-1

d. Change-up, knee high and inside corner

6^th inning

1) Latimore hit a groundout to Tovar (63/G)

a. Curveball, thigh high over the middle – strike 0-1

b. Curveball, shin high and inside corner – swinging strike 0-2

c. Fastball, belt high and inside corner

2) Sanchez flied out to Taijeron (9/F)

a. Curveball, letter high and outside – ball 1-0 (Poor release)

b. Fastball, knee high and inside corner – foul 1-1

c. Curveball, knee high and outside – ball 2-1

d. Fastball, thigh high and inside corner

3) Dykstra hit a groundout to Dilson (43/G)

a. Fastball, belt high and outside corner – foul 0-1

b. Fastball, thigh high over the middle

7^th inning

1) Keyes hit a groundout to Dilson (43/G)

a. Fastball, shin high and inside – ball 1-0

b. Curveball, belt high and outside – ball 2-0

c. Fastball, shin high and very inside – ball 3-0

d. 93 MPH Fastball, thigh high down the middle – strike 3-1

e. Change-up, thigh high and outside corner

2) Martinson struck out swinging (K/Sw)

a. Fastball, belt high and outside corner – foul 0-1

b. Curveball, belt high and inside corner – ball 1-1

c. Curveball, thigh high over the middle – strike 1-2

d. Change-up, thigh high over the middle – swinging strike 3

3) Tejeda singled to LF (S7/G)

a. Curveball, belt high over the middle – strike 0-1

b. Curveball, knee high and inside corner – strike 0-2

c. Fastball, thigh high and outside corner – foul 0-2

d. Curveball, knee high and inside corner – foul 0-2

e. Curveball, shin high over the middle

4) Hague hit a grounder to Dilson for a force out (FC46/G)

a. 92 MPH Fastball, thigh high and outside corner – foul 0-1

b. Fastball, belt high and inside corner

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