Matt Harvey is a good pitcher . . . . very good. Jason Hammel is a good pitcher . . . pretty good.
It was one of those classic pitcher duels on a cold Chicago evening.
It was also nice to get a fresh broadcast perspective on the Cubs. ESPN's crew did a good, balanced job on their coverage. For all the side nonsense and controversy, Curt Schilling does know about pitching. (Poor Doug Glanville, he was exiled to Siberia in CF for most of the game.)
The game and the commentary should be a documentary for young pitchers on how to become quality major league starters. Location, command and pitch efficiency were all on display last night.
As Schilling eluded, a top pitcher can control a game from the mound, but an ace pitcher can get himself out of jams even when he makes "mistakes" such as a breaking ball that backs up into the zone (in a few occasions, it backed up inside jamming the hitter into lining out.) It was a clinic on cold weather pitching, the grip, the strategy to attack pitchers and fielders in such conditions.
This is the hardest transition for pro pitchers. It is not about getting strikeouts, it is about getting outs. It is about how to set up a hitter to a) swing and miss; b) take a strike; c) or induce preferred contact such as a ground ball to start a double play. Most young pitchers who have dominant fastball rely too much on it to get the big leagues. However, the problem is that every major league hitter can gauge a fastball, adjust and crush it.
Both starters were excellent last night:
Harvey threw 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 9K, 2 BB. He threw 100 pitches, 70 for strikes (70%).
Hammel threw 8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 1 BB. He threw 97 pitches, 68 for strikes (70.1%).
Cub manager Joe Maddon is becoming a risk taker. In the 9th after Anthony Rizzo got a single, Maddon replaced his best hitter with a pinch runner, Matt Sczcur. In a tie game that could go to extra innings, this seemed to be an odd move. Then Starlin Castro got a single, with Sczcur getting to third base. This put additional pressure on the Mets bullpen. An intentional walk, then a strike out to Jorge Soler, Mets closer Jeurys Familia walked Coghlan to give the Cubs the win.
It was the bullpen that cost the Mets the game. As discussed, the game of baseball is now constructed to rely more on a solid bullpen than on five solid starting pitchers. Teams are carrying 11 or 12 pitchers now just to bolster the bullpen which is now expected to take the game from the 7th inning to the end game after game. It is rare to get a box score where both starting pitchers throw past the 7th inning.
During the cable pregame, there was some discussion on how good and young the Mets pitching staff is - - - that it could contain five aces. The staff is jelling to comparisons of the great Atlanta Braves staffs of the 1990s. So there is a natural thought pattern that the Cubs and Mets would be ideal trade partners since the Cubs have a surplus of young hitters.
A few people believe that the Mets would be foolish to trade any of their young starters. Finding an ace pitcher is very hard. Finding more than one is rare. Having three or more on a staff is unheard of. One commentator believed that he would never trade a HOF caliber starter for a HOF caliber hitter.
The example would be trading Harvey for Kris Bryant.
Bryant is expected to play 155 games in the field, bat .275, hit 30 HR, 85 RBI.
Harvey is expected to start 33 games, have 16 wins, 2.37 ERA, 1.000 WHIP and 5.0 WAR.
Yes, Bryant will play in more games, but his production and impact is the 4 times he is at the plate. Harvey directly impacts 20 percent of the Mets starts, and controls the ball for at least 25 batters a game.
It is often said that great pitching will temper great hitting. So who is more valuable?
A professional pitcher like Harvey may be more valuable as a central foundation piece for a franchise. Quality starts create stability in the pitching staff. Quality starts give teams the ability to win series. Winning series consistently means a winning record and playoff berth. A professional pitcher will share his knowledge of the game with his teammates, thus increasing the coaching efficiency of the team. (Greg Maddux was credited with the same mentoring in Atlanta and Chicago).
The Mets rebuilt their franchise through young starting pitching. The Cubs have rebuilt their franchise on young power hitters. It will be interesting to see which club has the better run, short and long term.
