Enjoy some Atlanta psychedelic while watching this series:

All the Saints

The N.E.C.

Deerhunter

The Coathangers

***

Javier Vazquez (3-1, 5 GS, 1.34 runs average, 6.74 IP/GS; 4 quality starts) @ Manny Parra (1-0, 2 GS, 0.69 runs average, 6.50 IP/GS; 2 quality starts)

It’s good to be home sometimes, isn’t it? Or, I think it’s good for Javier Vazquez to come home, return to the National League after his stint in the junior circuit. The righty is reclaiming some of the magic he had early in his career in Montreal, working his strong riding fastball and meat-and-potatoes secondary repertoire for quality innings in Atlanta. Vazquez seems to me to be a forgotten pitcher, sometimes, when people speak of solid pitchers in the big leagues. While he is not your prototypical ace, he is a good example of a quality pitcher that can pitch like an ace sometimes, and has also simply had some solid, straightforward, average seasons. A quality innings eater, rather than an innings eater.

Since he returned from Nashville to work on his pitching approach, Parra is a different pitcher – sort of. His “debut” following his minor league stint was a strong and efficient seven inning affair during which Parra did not allow a single run. His second start was almost as good in the results department – 6 IP, 1 R – but not so good in the efficiency department (124 pitches in 6 innings). At the end of the day, Parra’s return is crucial because he allows the Brewers to feature one less replacement starter at the moment. If he continues this type of performance, that’s all the better.

Tommy Hanson (3-0, 5 GS, 2.40 runs average, 6.00 IP/GS; 3 quality starts) @ Yovani Gallardo (1-3, 5 GS, 4.10 runs average, 6.14 IP/GS; 3 quality starts)

I suppose his debut was a fluke. After the Brewers beat up the Braves’ top righty prospect – and one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, Hanson went on a tear. This kid simply throws hard; his fastball averages 93 MPH, and he prominently features his sharp slider and curveball combination, providing two good changes of speed from that hard fastball. As if the Braves’ rotation needed it, Hanson provides another strong arm for their pitching staff, and alongside their collection of current aces, Hanson stands as a reminder of the future.

I know I’ve written about this in a few different previews, but it never ceases to amaze me, so I’m not ready to stop talking about it, yet: Yovani Gallardo is an inefficient ace. Now, this concerns me because he hardly pitched any innings last year, and the last thing an arm pitching without a foundation workload needs is the chance for adding stress to the arm.

So, some facts:

-16 of Gallardo’s 19 starts feature 100 or more pitches, with 7 of those starts going 110 or more pitches.

-12 of Gallardo’s 19 starts are inefficient starts, meaning that he averages more than 16 pitches per inning.

-Of those 12 inefficient outings, eight of them are outings in which he does not complete  6 innings, but still manages to throw at least 93 pitches.

Now, I will admit that Gallardo does not have too many of those 115 or 120 pitch outings that really jump out at the eye. But, doesn’t the fact that he needs 93 or more pitches to record between 5 and 6 innings of work seem problematic? It seems to me that sometimes Gallardo strikes out too many batters, for instance, requiring deep counts to do so. It also simply seems that Gallardo works deep into counts in general, rather than working to record an out early in the plate appearance; now, I’m sure that’s not his stated objective (to throw more pitches), but at this point in the season, I am not willing to write his inefficiency off as a fluke. Rather, I consider it to be something that is troubling and indicates that with his pitch workload he is giving himself more opportunities to pitch in stressful situations or pitch in situations in which his arm is tiring.

Derek Lowe (2-1, 5 GS, 3.38 run average, 5.86 IP/GS; 4 quality starts) @ Braden Looper (4-0, 5 GS, 3.81 runs average, 6.14 IP/GS; 4 quality starts)

Derek Lowe is such a prototypical sinkerballer. Sinker, slider, sinker slider; the majority of his pitches are accounted for by his riding and sinking fastballs, and then a slider (sometimes a cutter). Sometimes the most simple and straightforward things in life are the best.

Unlike Jeff Suppan, who goes out and sucks everytime I say something nice about him, Braden Looper returns the favor in further good outings, so I will continue to praise the splitterballing expert, his aggressive approach, and his recent stretch of strong outings. Looper is quickly reestablishing himself as a very strong middle rotation option, and if he continues to work towards the upper ranges of #3 starters, the Brewers will find a much needed remedy to their pitching woes.