LP Langevin has one of the most underrated fastballs in the country. A former JUCO bandit, the @RaginCajunsBSB RHP threw five perfect innings in relief, dominating with his heater. 92-95 with explosive life, racking up 14 (!) whiffs. Flashed a CT, SL, and CH. Very fun metrics.
Here's all six of Gage Stanifer's strikeouts from this evening. His sinker averaged 95.5 mph, but touched as high as 97.4 mph (max spin rate of 2,515 RPM). Generated 11 whiffs on 30 total swings for a 37 whiff% RJ Schreck just hit his 16th home run of the season, moving into an organization-leading tie with Charles McAdoo and Sean Keys. Double-digit homers for Arjun Nimmala! The @BlueJays' No. 1
He continued to struggle making contact which resulted in a .213 walk rate, and struck out a ton with a strikeout rate sitting at a mammoth 35%. His walk rate was still outstanding, though it was a career low 14.9%. The result - a batting average of .213 but an OBP of a respectable .343. The power also saw a minor uptick as he hit a career high 7 homers, and an ISO of .129.
The Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitching thus far in the postseason has been dominant. It's one thing to shut down the Cincinnati Reds - a Wild Card team hovering around the .500 mark with an average offense. It's another thing to systematically break down the Philadelphia Phillies on the road in a hostile environment, not to mention limiting the three-headed monster of Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper severely thus far.
In his first start, Early used his sinker against lefties to get ahead, turning to sweepers and curveballs to put them away. Against righties, he kept everything down in the zone and "pitched backwards". He used his breaking stuff early in at-bats, turning to more four-seam fastballs and changeups later in counts. He executed his plan, striking out 11 Athletics over five shutout innings.
Payton Tolle's Major League debut was one to remember. The hard-throwing left-hander fanned eight over 5 1/3 sharp innings Friday night, electrifying the Fenway faithful and offering fans a glimpse into the future. Greg Weissert allowed back-to-back doubles, and both runs were charged to Tolle in an eventual 4-2 loss to the Pirates, yet it was still a largely promising opening act for the highly regarded rookie.
