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. Click here for a general guide to pitch types and classifications. Graphs are courtesy of Brooks Baseball and The Hardball Times , unless otherwise specified. Statistics are courtesy of FanGraphs .
Friday, 7:05 PM – Travis Wood
| 2012 | |
|---|---|
| IP | 120.1 |
| K/PA | 17.0% |
| BB/PA | 7.7% |
| HR/9 | 1.72 |
| GB% | 34.6% |
| Whiff% | 14.9% |
| ERA | 4.64 |
| FIP | 5.29 |
Wood survives by mixing up the various pieces of his diverse repertoire and trying to keep hitters off-balance. He does not have great stuff, and does not miss many bats. He throws a four-seam fastball that sits around 88-91 MPH and occasionally gets up around 94 MPH. The four-seamer has been his best swing-and-miss pitch in 2012. He also throws an 88-90 MPH two-seamer, which he generally uses on the outer half against righties, and an 86-89 MPH cutter, which he throws in on the hands of righties. Wood has increased his usage of the cutter this year, throwing it nearly 30% of the time. In the past, he has had success with his 79-81 MPH changeup, but the pitch has not been very effective in 2012. The southpaw throws the change almost exclusively against right-handers. Wood also mixes in a 73-77 MPH knuckle-curve and an 80-83 MPH slider. Both breaking balls are below average pitches, and he does not go to them very often overall. However, he leans relatively heavily on the slider against lefties.
