What made it interesting to me was that Newcomb was pitching and JD Martinez was on his rehab assignment. On Newcomb, the only thing holding him back is that the address for home plate is a mystery to him. He had some improvement over the last couple of games, but really will not be a MLB asset until he can cut down his walk rate. In the game today, it really was about the first inning, then all the rest. Inning One - three walks, three hard hit balls (though only one dropped in for a hit) and one run scored. Over the next six innings - three baserunners (two hits and one walk). One of the hits was a third inning HR by JD Martinez, the other a looping line drive that I thought Lane Adams kind of dogged as there was already two outs.
What I didn't like:
1) The first inning was a mess and even involved a trip to the mound by the pitching couch.
2) I do not think I saw a foul ball off Newcomb until the third and I do not think I saw a swinging strike until the fourth.
3) The Mud Hens were walking up to the plate early with no intention of swinging until Newcomb proved he could get the ball over.
4) Newcomb never seemed to challenge the big bats and was rarely in front, especially early in the game.
What I liked:
1) Newcomb wasn't necessarily pitching to win. He was working on his stuff and placement. As the game went on, he featured different pitches with different results (one inning would be weak grounders, the seventh inning was three weak fly balls).
2) As Newcomb featured the different pitches, the K's came (something like five in the last four innings).
In short, when Newcomb comes up, I expect him to really get eaten up with major leaguers plate discipline. Control may be the one thing that keeps him from being more that a mid-rotation starter that occasionally tosses a real gem.
JD Martinez hit the ball hard three times, one going yard, one had double written all over it if it hadn't been right at the left fielder Kubitza, and one head high right to Ruiz at third.
I hate Ozzie Albies plate approach. He has his lead foot up on tippy-toes all the way on the outside portion of the box and the head of his bat is cocked way back over the top of his head. A lot of moving parts and it takes him quite a while to get his bat into the zone. Should end up with a lot of grounders going the other way, which may be the point. Used his speed to beat out a grounder, then drove the pitcher crazy for some reason with a moderate lead. Never did actually attempt to steal which was a shame.
Mauricio Cabrera had a typical inning (one walk, one K) to earn a save.
Dan Kenyon would have been spitting raspberries pretty much all game as the Mud Hens walked five times (though no one player twice).
No Mud Hen batting from 4 to 9 had a hit, but they did account for four of the walks. Infante, Jacoby Jones, and JD each had one hit, and only Jones was on base twice.
One of the Braves runs was bogus. I can't remember who, but the Brave scored from second on a ball hit deep on the line to the Mud Hen third baseman. Runner at first was safe and Hicks at catcher took the throw into the plate and applied a high tag before the runners foot hit the plate. The runner was out, but the Ump missed it.
