http://goo.gl/wbvm4
Another epic at-bat for Tyler Clippard
By Adam Kilgore
For the second time in two outings, Tyler Clippard found himself engaged in a
stalemate, silently screaming for the batter to put the ball in play. On
Friday night, he had walked Emilio Bonifacio on 14 pitches. Now, Tuesday
night, Mark Kotsay stood at the plate and fouled off nine pitches, looking at
two others for balls.
In the seventh inning, with one out and the Nationals clinging to a 2-1 lead
and runners on second and third, Clippard needed to make one crucial pitch …
and then he had to make it over and over again.
“It’s kind of just pitch-to-pitch,” Clippard said. “Those are big spots
for the team. As frustrating as it can be to continue to execute and them
continue to kind of fight off those pitches and put together good at-bats,
you usually only get one inning out there. You’re just grinding pitch to
pitch. I was able to win the battle there.”
Finally, on the 12th pitch of the at-bat, Kotsay popped up to shortstop Ian
Desmond. Before he got out of the inning, Clippard also went to a full count
on Chris Denorfia, a six-pitch at-bat that seemed like child’s play compared
to the epic confrontation with Kotsay.
Clippard has needed to work harder this year, within the framework of one
inning, than in years past. Over the past two years, Clippard has needed 16.3
pitches per inning. In a small sample size, Clippard has thrown 20.6 pitches
per inning this year.
“I think people are more aware of what I’m trying to do,” Clippard said. “
I think early on, in all my seasons, I really haven’t used my breaking
pitches as much, which I think is a good thing. Later on in the season, I
like to do that a little bit more. I might need to just start doing now, so I
don’t have these 20-pitch at-bats. No, I think it’s a matter of sticking to
my strengths. I think guys are aware of that, but at the end of the day, it’
s what makes me who I am.”
So far, it has not stopped Clippard from coming through. After his marathon
duel with Bonifacio, Clippard struck out Hanley Ramirez to avoid a jam. “It’
s really easy in those spots to forget about the last guy and go get the next
guy,” Clippard said. “Because it’s so important for the team. To get the
W, that’s what you have to do.”
For Clippard, the intense at-bats do not add to his workload. Some relievers
think their pitch count matters most in regard to their strain. Clippard
thinks the opposite, which, given his recent performances, is a good thing.
“It’s the up-and-downs that matter,” Clippard said. “In those continuous
innings, whether it’s 12 or 25 pitches, it’s not that much different. It’s
really no big deal.”
待翻。
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 140.135.53.145