#pitching-strategy

#pitching-strategy

Another day, another win-or-go-home Game 5 in the 2025 MLB playoffs! The Brewers entered the series as the favorite -- and the NL's top overall seed. But after taking a commanding 2-0 lead, their NL Central rival Cubs evened the series with two wins at Wrigley Field. Now we're back in Milwaukee -- with the winner moving on to face the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL pennant.

For Glasnow, yes, but also for the Dodgers. It would eliminate the possibility of the Dodgers playing for their lives on Saturday, amid the deafening decibels of Citizens Bank Park. And it would vindicate the Dodgers' strategy of all but mothballing an elite starting pitcher for almost three weeks and then handing him the ball and asking him to win them the division series.

"Will (Smith) did a good job. We kind of flipped the script and just started kind of throwing a lot of different stuff, trying to be creative, keep them off balance, because it wasn't coming out so good. Fortunate to make it through five. It's obviously not as deep as you want to get, but thankfully with Shee last night, our bullpen was fresh and we have the off day on Thursday."

We know the games mean a little bit more when the Toronto Blue Jays are actively trying to match up their pitchers against specific competition. It's also been a while since they've had the luxury of being able to say they are truly six starters deep and any one of them can give the Blue Jays a chance to win on any given night.

"We're looking for guys with stuff, you know, guys that have performed well... a combination of both is really where our focus was. We feel like we got several guys that have that. Eriq Swan, a really big guy with big stuff, strikes a lot of guys out, has velocity, can spin the ball..."

Facing Francisco Lindor, Carlos Rodón began with a back-foot slider that misled the hitter from anticipating a fastball, leading to a foul tip.

Richard Fitts finally earned his first major league win, employing a breaking ball-heavy approach against lefties, which proved effective against the struggling Rockies.

The Washington Nationals have struggled in day games, recording a 13-25 record compared to a near .500 performance in night games, highlighting a significant discrepancy in performance.

Bello's reliance on the cutter, which he effectively mixed and located, proved pivotal in his shutout against the Yankees, showcasing his ability to adapt.

The Braves made a strategic decision to option Bryce Elder to Triple-A and call up Dylan Dodd, only to send Dodd back after a short stint.

When healthy, Chris Sale has been good, with an epic-tier career defined by a fastball-slider repertoire that confounds hitters.