He continues to put up mediocre numbers: 3 BB an 7 H's over 7 IP; 124 pitches of 54 were balls. The guy has got to throw strikes and be more efficient with his pitches. I do not think that I am going out on a limb here, but, I believe the 'Sox were expecting a bit more from this guy who was supposedly the top free agent pitcher available in the offseason.
I have been very critical of this guy but he's making a ton of money and should be pitching better.
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Well, I got a bird's eye view of Mr. Lackey's pitching today. It's quite different watching these guys on TV. One thing that struck me about our Mr. Lackey is that he is totally not a hard thrower. I couldn't believe it when I actually saw his pitches coming in. I was sitting about 10 rows up behind home plate. It's quite a contast in style to watch a guy throw mid 70s-80s and then see a pitcher who throws in the 90s.
ReplyDeleteNow, I've never played baseball. I've never stood up there and tried to hit a breaking ball or a slider, but as a former fast-pitch softball player myself, and a fairly decent hitter, I think I have a pretty good eye. Sitting behind the plate today, I thought the strike zone was extremely generous to Lackey. I don't know what it looked like on TV, but I thought he got a lot of calls trying to paint the outside corner. The only problem was that the paint was dripping.
Does Mr. Lackey bring bad karma to the team? Its seems the boys don't have an easy time of it when he pitches. I totally don't think the Sox got their money's worth for this guy. I've said it before that I used to think Lackey was a killer. Perhaps the pressure of playing in Boston's just too much for him. You know, it's not for everybody.
I never followed Lackey closely. Recently, I looked at his career stats and was stunned at how they were okay, not eye-popping. Not sure why he was considered the best pitcher in last year's free agent market. Must have been a very weak free agent market last year.
ReplyDeleteIf he does not have much velocity, okay, but he seems to lack control.
To return to my pet pieve: free agency is not the way the build a team. Yes, the Yankees do it but they thumb their nose at the luxury tax and have deeper pockets than our 'Sox (though Boston certainly spends its share of money on free agents).