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 .
Saturday, 7:05 PM – Jason Marquis
| 2012 | |
|---|---|
| IP | 108.2 |
| K/PA | 16.2% |
| BB/PA | 7.1% |
| HR/9 | 1.57 |
| GB% | 52.2 |
| Whiff% | 18.7% |
| ERA | 5.47 |
| FIP | 4.94 |
Marquis is consistently among the top ground ball pitchers in baseball. He tends to sling the ball toward the plate with a jerky release, which helps generate the sharp movement on his pitches. His sinker sits around 88-89 MPH, with good sinking action. He also throws an 81-84 MPH slider and a 79-83 MPH change. Marquis likes to pound the arm-side of the zone, busting his sinker in on the hands of righties and staying on the outer half against lefties. Historically, Marquis has not missed many bats, relying mostly on the ground balls to have success. However, he is avoiding contact a bit more this year, and has seen his strikeout rate creep up as a result. Despite a typically strong ground ball rate, Marquis has already allowed 19 home runs this year.
