2022 Brewers Pitching Thread

[RobDeer 45]

I was going to make a comment in the Offense thread but didn’t want it to get off topic.  Do you guys think the new pitch signals system is messing with the pitchers a bit?  Getting them off their usual rhythm?  I don’t think it’s a big deal long term, but initially I’m wondering if things will be off for them.  I’m actually a fan of the system and seems to be speeding up the game….when it’s working.

[stoutdude04]

Short spring and cold weather probably have more to do with it - if I had to guess anyway.  Hopefully it's just a small sample and means nothing.

[nate82]

2 minutes ago, RobDeer 45 said:

I was going to make a comment in the Offense thread but didn’t want it to get off topic.  Do you guys think the new pitch signals system is messing with the pitchers a bit?  Getting them off their usual rhythm?  I don’t think it’s a big deal long term, but initially I’m wondering if things will be off for them.  I’m actually a fan of the system and seems to be speeding up the game….when it’s working.

I think there is more correlation to the shortened spring training having an impact on the Brewers pitchers at least right now.  A lot of 2-0 counts to start and then when they do get ahead they are throwing completely no competitive pitches.  It looks like the shortened spring training has impacted the Brewers pitchers negatively.  

Woodruff looks like he was impacted the most by this.  It looks like he is not able to find his release point for his off speed pitches and the hitters know this and are just sitting on his fastball.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I doubt it. The system seems really straightforward and everyone seems to like it. I think the upper Midwest having a bunch of lousy weather - not exactly out of the norm but not a given, either - is the biggest culprit along with a shortened spring. 

[RobDeer 45]

Totally agree on shortened spring and forgot all about that when I was writing the original post.  I think they will get right pretty soon here.

[SomewhereInTime]

Working with a new catcher who was acquired after spring training and who's caught half or more than half of the innings so far is probably a big part of it too.  Given the situation with the Severino suspension, this was not a time to have a strict platoon to start the year.  Omar should have been in the lineup for the first 5 or 6 games of the year minimum.

[Brock Beauchamp]

27 minutes ago, SomewhereInTime said:

Working with a new catcher who was acquired after spring training and who's caught half or more than half of the innings so far is probably a big part of it too.  Given the situation with the Severino suspension, this was not a time to have a strict platoon to start the year.  Omar should have been in the lineup for the first 5 or 6 games of the year minimum.

Good point about the late acquisition of two catchers. I’m surprised that has slipped under the radar as much as it has. 

[rickh150]

Late spring, whatever… these guys should be throwing so that they are ready for the first game. My guess is that all of them were pitching privately somewhere, somehow like they would have been in Arizona. 
The bigger issue that gnaws at me is still from 2021.  Burnes is CY Young, but CY Young not being able to go 5 or 6 innings (or at all) on 3 days rest cost them in Game 4. Woodruff would have been able to then go on regular rest for Game 5. Having Burnes/Woodruff able to pitch 4 games in the NLDS and having Hader/Williams pitch 2 innings in the playoffs, if not regular season, should be a talked about goal. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

1 hour ago, rickh150 said:

Late spring, whatever… these guys should be throwing so that they are ready for the first game. My guess is that all of them were pitching privately somewhere, somehow like they would have been in Arizona. 
The bigger issue that gnaws at me is still from 2021.  Burnes is CY Young, but CY Young not being able to go 5 or 6 innings (or at all) on 3 days rest cost them in Game 4. Woodruff would have been able to then go on regular rest for Game 5. Having Burnes/Woodruff able to pitch 4 games in the NLDS and having Hader/Williams pitch 2 innings in the playoffs, if not regular season, should be a talked about goal. 

Frankly, I don't get these takes. Do fans really believe that literally the best baseball players on the planet don't know how to prepare for a 162 game season? There's a reason they don't spend the entire offseason throwing; they have to play for six months and an arm can only deliver so many 95mph fastballs in a single calendar year.

We can have Burnes throw 91mph and pitch 220 innings or we can have Burnes throw 95mph and 170 innings. There is an opportunity cost to throwing more innings and I wish fans would acknowledge it.

[BallFour]

Article in the Athletic by Eno Sarris describing the biggest gainers in stuff so far in the very brief start to the season. Aaron Ashby is #1 in biggest gainers. He identifies that he has added more horizontal movement on both his sinker and changeup. We are in the infant stages of the season but that is nice to read. I must admit I am a little anxious about him facing the right handed heavy lineup of the Cardinals Sunday who were the 3rd best in wrC+ vs. lefties last year. 

[NBBrewFan]

3 hours ago, rickh150 said:

Late spring, whatever… these guys should be throwing so that they are ready for the first game. My guess is that all of them were pitching privately somewhere, somehow like they would have been in Arizona. 
The bigger issue that gnaws at me is still from 2021.  Burnes is CY Young, but CY Young not being able to go 5 or 6 innings (or at all) on 3 days rest cost them in Game 4. Woodruff would have been able to then go on regular rest for Game 5. Having Burnes/Woodruff able to pitch 4 games in the NLDS and having Hader/Williams pitch 2 innings in the playoffs, if not regular season, should be a talked about goal. 

Well 2020 was the pandemic shortened year where all pitchers IP were down. There's a lot of data now that large increases year-to-year in IP correlates with an increase in risk of injury. Similarly throwing a huge number of pitches during a start has an increase in risk of injury. The Brewers were absolutely correct in limiting innings pitched and pitches thrown by their extremely valuable asset of high-end young pitchers. Personally I would put hitting, hitting, hitting, hitting, hitting, hitting, hitting, hitting, hitting and hitting as the top 10 reasons the Brewers lost to the Braves and Burnes not pitching on short rest somewhere further down the list.

[rickh150]

5 hours ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Frankly, I don't get these takes. Do fans really believe that literally the best baseball players on the planet don't know how to prepare for a 162 game season? There's a reason they don't spend the entire offseason throwing; they have to play for six months and an arm can only deliver so many 95mph fastballs in a single calendar year.

We can have Burnes throw 91mph and pitch 220 innings or we can have Burnes throw 95mph and 170 innings. There is an opportunity cost to throwing more innings and I wish fans would acknowledge it.

Well, I was talking to those who are saying the pitching is behind now because of the lack of a normal spring  training. I don’t believe that. Guys can pitch on their own in Feb/March however they want so they are ready Day 1.

With Burnes, the team was largely using a 6man rotation most of the year, and he STILL can’t go one extra day earlier in the arguably biggest game of the year?  167 innings. Yeah, hitting was the reason they lost. Second that, of course. I just wanted the Braves to beat Burnes/Woodruff/Peralta/Burnes/Woodruff three times. Game 5 would have been in Milwaukee too.  Not unreasonable to think,..

[rickh150]

1 minute ago, rickh150 said:

Well, I was talking to those who are saying the pitching is behind now because of the lack of a normal spring  training. I don’t believe that. Guys can pitch on their own in Feb/March however they want so they are ready Day 1.

With Burnes, the team was largely using a 6man rotation most of the year, and he STILL can’t go one extra day earlier in the arguably biggest game of the year?  167 innings. Yeah, hitting was the reason they lost. Second that, of course. I just wanted the Braves to beat Burnes/Woodruff/Peralta/Burnes/Woodruff three times. Game 5 would have been in Milwaukee too.  Not unreasonable to think,..

I think CC asked him to start Game 4 by the way, and he simply wasn’t ready to do it. If I have to blame someone, I blame CC more than Burnes. 
 

[Underachiever]

Perfect internet thread. Titled "2022 Brewers Pitching Thread", becomes a rehash of 2021 within 10 posts.

[rickh150]

7 hours ago, Underachiever said:

Perfect internet thread. Titled "2022 Brewers Pitching Thread", becomes a rehash of 2021 within 10 posts.

It’s actually on topic…how will pitchers be used or used differently in 2022? We still have our same pitchers.  Not old news.  I want Burnes to be able, if needed, to pitch on 3 days rest in the NLDS or Hader/Williams pitching two innings in a key playoff game in 2022. 

[Robocaller]

1 hour ago, rickh150 said:

It’s actually on topic…how will pitchers be used or used differently in 2022? We still have our same pitchers.  Not old news.  I want Burnes to be able, if needed, to pitch on 3 days rest in the NLDS or Hader/Williams pitching two innings in a key playoff game in 2022. 

Fortunately, we have wiser minds running the team.

[nate82]

1 hour ago, rickh150 said:

It’s actually on topic…how will pitchers be used or used differently in 2022? We still have our same pitchers.  Not old news.  I want Burnes to be able, if needed, to pitch on 3 days rest in the NLDS or Hader/Williams pitching two innings in a key playoff game in 2022. 

There were reports repeated reports that Hader was not comfortable pitching in back to back to back games so he was unavailable to do so.  If a player says they are uncomfortable and won't be ready for that day then you can't just do it because rickh150 says so because some guy in the stands is wearing the wrong baseball hat.

[brewers888]

Are we planning on using a 6 man rotation again which I think would be the right move to keep our top starters innings down. With the division being as weak as it is we should be doing whatever necessary to have our starters sharp and not overworked if we make the playoffs.

[rickh150]

On 4/16/2022 at 12:32 AM, Robocaller said:

Fortunately, we have wiser minds running the team.

The guy running the team asked Burnes to go on three days rest and he couldn’t. Good try, though. 

[Robocaller]

1 hour ago, rickh150 said:

The guy running the team asked Burnes to go on three days rest and he couldn’t. Good try, though. 

if so, fortunately we have wiser players.

 

[MVP2110]

 

 

[rickh150]

On 4/17/2022 at 2:58 PM, Robocaller said:

if so, fortunately we have wiser players.

 

And a whole team of players exiting the playoffs early.

[areacodes]

On 4/17/2022 at 1:19 PM, rickh150 said:

The guy running the team asked Burnes to go on three days rest and he couldn’t. Good try, though. 

Looks like it didn’t go down the way you remember it:

Quote

Corbin Burnes came into Craig Counsell's office after starting Game 1 of the National League Division Series and let the Milwaukee Brewers' manager know that he was willing to take the ball on short rest, if necessary, if the series got to a fourth game.
 

"He was interested in doing it," Counsell said Tuesday morning. "I said, well, we have to make sure you're physically able to do it and as the day's gone on, he's just not physically ready to do it."

So instead, left-hander Eric Lauer gets the ball later this afternoon when the Brewers look to stave off elimination when they face the Braves in Game 4 at Truist Park. 

"The last couple days, I just didn't recover the way that I wanted to," Burnes said. "It was a matter of do I want to go out there at 80-85% or have Lauer go out there full-go and fully-rested. It came down to the decision that they felt better with Lauer being 100% and the bullpen fully rested and then me being 100% ready for Game 5."

Link

[Brock Beauchamp]

59 minutes ago, areacodes said:

Looks like it didn’t go down the way you remember it:

Link

Weird. So you're saying that Corbin Burnes, like pretty much every other world-class athlete, wants to take the ball every night and sometimes his manager needs to rein him in?

Strange. That kind of story is so rare in professional sports.

[areacodes]

2 hours ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Weird. So you're saying that Corbin Burnes, like pretty much every other world-class athlete, wants to take the ball every night and sometimes his manager needs to rein him in?

Strange. That kind of story is so rare in professional sports.

Looks like it… and also looks like he was honest with the team about his recovery and they made the decision to go with somebody 100%.