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 .
Tuesday, 7:05 PM – Yovani Gallardo
| 2012 | |
|---|---|
| IP | 186.1 |
| K/PA | 23.9% |
| BB/PA | 9.2% |
| HR/9 | 1.16 |
| GB% | 47.0% |
| Whiff% | 20.3% |
| ERA | 3.72 |
| FIP | 3.91 |
Gallardo’s four-seam fastball is a fairly straight pitch that sits 90-93 MPH and tops out around 94. His two-seamer comes in at a similar velocity with solid arm-side movement. Although, the two-seamer has generally produced good results, Gallardo uses the four-seamer much more frequently. He throws two breaking balls, an 85-89 MPH slider and a 79-82 MPH curve. The curve is his best pitch, with hard 12-to-6 break and a whiff rate sitting around 37% in 2012. His command of the pitch can be a bit inconsistent, as he occasionally leaves it a bit up in the zone. But when he is able to bury it below the knees, it is an excellent strikeout pitch. The slider, which resembles a cutter, does not miss that many bats, but leads to a lot of weak contact and a ton of ground balls. Gallardo also throws a very rare changeup in the upper 80’s, a pitch that tends to catch hitters off guard and regularly misses bats.
