The Guardians' lineup isn't conducive to being hurt by the sinker, so Brandon Bielak had...
Brandon Bielak of the Houston Astros reacts after an RBI fielders choice hit by Amed Rosario of the Cleveland Guardians during the fifth inning at Progressive Field on June 11, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio.CLEVELAND — Brandon Bielak’s stuff is never overwhelming. His fastball sits at 92 mph, and none of his pitches would be graded as elite. Yet, in his first six starts this season, he’d managed a 3.35 ERA.
The Guardians lineup features five batters — four lefties and one switch-hitter — who hit lefthanded against Bielak. That’s a problem because Bielak’s sinker doesn’t play against lefties the same way it does against righthanders. That explains why he used the sinker — a pitch he had employed 25.1 percent of the time this season — on just 11 of his 87 pitches against Cleveland.
As for the location, it’s not that Bielak was wild. Not at all, actually. He threw 50 pitches for strikes and only walked two. However, to be successful in the big leagues, not only does Bielak have to throw strikes, but he needs to hit specific parts of the zone. "It was a situation where he was finding the heart of the plate too much," Astros manager Dusty Baker said."He was throwing strikes, but if you find the heart of the plate, that’s the easiest pitch to hit. He had a tough day in the zone."
That was the case on Andrés Giménez's second-inning homer, which came on a fat 86 mph changeup right down the middle. Giménez belted it with a 106.9 mph exit velocity and sent it over the wall in right center. A changeup to Josh Bell two innings later was better. The 86 mph changeup was low and away, ready to dot the outside corner, but Bell got his arms out and hit it 426 feet for another homer.
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