Manny Parra Up, Chris Narveson DFA

[naivin]

That first inning tonight may have been not just a season changer, but a career changer for Manny Parra. Two months ago, in the same situation, the Reds get 5 runs and the game is over. He looks like a different guy. Here's hoping anyway.

[Ennder]

That first inning tonight may have been not just a season changer, but a career changer for Manny Parra. Two months ago, in the same situation, the Reds get 5 runs and the game is over. He looks like a different guy. Here's hoping anyway.

I disagree, until that 3 game ugly streak he was much better with RISP than without so this would have just been normal. Most of the season his issue has just been letting on too many baserunners, not falling apart once they get on base. It was just a really terrible 3 game stretch where that was the issue.

[naivin]

It was just a really terrible 3 game stretch where that was the issue.

Exactly my point. He could have easily buckled tonight but he did just the opposite. I think that has to be huge for his confidence/psyche.

[TooLiveBrew]

Wanted to bump this thread, since Manny just turned in his 3rd really good start out of the 5 he's made since re-joining the big club. A hat tip for you, Mr. Parra -- I admire your fortitude & ability to remain confident in yourself. Like naivin said, this revival has really been crucial for both the Brewers & Manny.

 

He used 96 pitches to get through 8 innings at LA tonight, which imo is even more encouraging than his good results. In the 8th, he retired Ethier thanks to a couple of filthy curves & K'd Ramirez on another one. I heard Vin Scully mention Parra had induced 13 groundballs through 7 innings. All in all, just a great performance by Manny & really reassuring.

 

I wish Macha would have capped his night after 96 pitches through 8 innings, though. There's no reason to run him back out there with a 4-run lead. Macha just seems to have no clue with young players. Parra is an arm that needs to be monitored extra closely, since he had such injury trouble in the minors.

 

 

- As an aside, I really appreciated umpire Marvin Hudson's strikezone tonight. I thought he did a great job.

[dlk9s]

I didn't mind Parra going out for the 9th. The most pitches he threw in an inning was 17, and that was the first inning. He had multiple innings of single-digit pitch counts. It was a very unstressful game for his arm (not unstressful for us fans in the ninth, though).

[endaround]

Anyone notice who has caught Parra during those 3 good outings compared to the other 2?

[TooLiveBrew]

Blasphemy! Kendall calls a good game!

 

In all seriousness, I noticed two or three different instances where it seemed pretty clear that Parra & Rivera weren't getting along. That honestly doesn't concern me at all, but it was interesting to see the supposedly mentally-fragile Parra having clear disagreements with his catcher... and still pitch well.

 

 

I don't think this one start means Parra is over his problems. But Macha needs to keep pairing him with Rivera.

 

Although I (like others) am wary of small-sample-ism, I think that JohnBriggs might be onto something here. Even given their apparent lack of cohesion at times tonight, Parra turned in yet another nice start with Rivera behind the dish.

[endaround]

I think part of it is Parra isn't allowed or is afraid to shake off Kendall. And Kendall believes that Parra has to throw all his pitches even when one might not be working so he can "have it later"

[BrewCrewForever]

I didn't have a problem throwing Manny back out for the 9th, but after one base runner I would have pulled him. Macha let him go until he had two on. But yeah, a great performance by Manny. Just awesome.

[davego]

"I think part of it is Parra isn't allowed or is afraid to shake off Kendall. And Kendall believes that Parra has to throw all his pitches even when one might not be working so he can "have it later"..."

 

I agree with this, greatly. I wonder if Manny is taking more care throwing what he is might like in certain situations more so? I've often wondered why catchers 'get' to tell the pitcher what to throw, anyway.

[MoreTrife]

I think part of it is Parra isn't allowed or is afraid to shake off Kendall. And Kendall believes that Parra has to throw all his pitches even when one might not be working so he can "have it later"

i found myself thinking the opposite. i've always been a fan of manny's curve and early in the year when kendall was catching him i saw very little of the curve, and a whole lot of the split...which manny had a tendency to leave up in the zone. with rivera recently ive been noticing the curve getting called a lot and the split much more sparingly...where it may be more effective. just my observations.

[Fatter than Joey]

I agree with this, greatly. I wonder if Manny is taking more care throwing what he is might like in certain situations more so? I've often wondered why catchers 'get' to tell the pitcher what to throw, anyway.

 

I actually listened to a radio interview with Kendall -- and he basically said the catcher's role in calling a game is blown way out of proportion.

 

He said that before a game the pitchers/catchers/coaches meet, review charts & films etc., and put together a game plan on how to approach the opposing hitters. It's not as if Kendall decides pitches on the fly during the game -- most of it is done before the game even started.

 

I suspect that a variation may happen as a pitcher loses confidence in his ability to locate his breaking pitches, and perhaps wants to deviate from the "game plan".

[LouisEly]

It was a great game. He was down in the zone almost all of the night except for a bit of high wildness in the 6th. I was going to mention the ground balls.

 

As for the 9th, I had no issue with him coming back out, but the problem was Macha. Didn't understand why they took out Parra with the lefty coming up, and then you have a changeup/offspeed pitcher coming in facing a lefty so I don't know why Hall wasn't moved over closer towards the line - an offspeed righty facing a lefty hitter, the lefty is going to pull the ball. Hall just missed it (from my viewpoint, but maybe it wasn't as close) and it looked like he could have gotten it if he had been better positioned. With a lefty on lefty, Parra may have been able to strike him out, get a pop out/fly out, or induce a ground ball instead of Loney doubling into the corner.

[TooLiveBrew]

It didn't look like Macha planned it out anymore than that if Parra let the game reach a save situation, Hoffman would come in.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

Cory Provus mentioned in the pre-game show yesterday that Manny cut his fingernail the day before he pitched and had to "superglue" it together in order to throw. He mentioned that caused him to throw fewer split fingered pitches which helped him set up his strike out of Ramirez that was on a nasty splitter. TH also mentioned on the Homer show they've been trying to reduce the number of splitters he throws. Maybe they've stumbled on to something. Sounds like they should consult Brian Bannister for some tips on mixing up pitches.

[Diskono]

Didn't Jorge de la Rosa go on the DL for that?

[LouisEly]

That reminds me of one other thing that I noticed... the first time through the order Parra threw only fastballs and curveballs, probably 3:1 fastballs to curves. Second time through the order he added the changeup, and with the fastball working it was really effective - he started the change at the knees or low thighs (exactly where the fastballs were) and would drop to mid-shin high. Then the third time through the order he added the splitter; between the fastball, change, and splitter he had them hitting everything into the ground if the made contact at all. One of the runs they scored on three weak grounders and an error; Ausmus hit a bleeder that just got through the infield, then Parra botched the weak comebacker, and then someone hit a bleeder through 3B and SS that scored the run.

 

Really impressed by that, and it was neat seeing in person how effective that is to add a pitch each time through the order.