Exploring the Arsenal will run prior to each game, providing you with a brief scouting report on the starting pitcher expected to oppose the Pirates. The chart below shows the horizontal and vertical movement of every pitch thrown by that particular pitcher in 2012. This chart is from the catcher’s point of view. For a general guide to pitch types for a right-handed pitcher, please check out this image created by Sons of Sam Horn. Graphs are courtesy of Brooks Baseball and The Hardball Times , unless otherwise specified.
| Pitch Types | ||
|---|---|---|
| FA: Four-Seam Fastball | FT: Two-Seam Fastball | FC: Cutter |
| CU: Curveball | SL: Slider | CH: Changeup |
| FS: Splitter | SI: Sinker |
Saturday, 7:10 PM – Marco Estrada
Estrada has a deliberate delivery, almost pausing mid-windup. His fastball sits at 89-91 MPH and tops out around 92. Despite the average velocity, he misses a good number of bats with the fastball. Estrada’s only breaking ball is a fringy 77-81 MPH curveball, a pitch that tends to generate a lot of ground balls. His final offering is a 76-79 MPH circle change, which opposing batters hit in the air very often. He throws the change frequently and does not hesitate to use it regularly against right-handed batters. He may also throw a very rare cutter. Estrada has spent the majority of his major league career pitching out of the bullpen, but has mostly been in the Brewers’ rotation since late April. He is making his ninth start of the year.
