CHICAGO — Statistically, Cardinals relief pitcher John King’s sinker has been markedly better this season than last season. Yet metrically, there’s no real difference between the pitch he threw last year and the one he’s unleashing on hitters this year.
King readily acknowledged as much in front of his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Wrigley Field on Friday. When asked about the difference in statistics while producing similar metrics — such as spin, movement, extension, velocity — King said, “Same pitch, man.â€
“I think I’m just commanding it better than I did, maybe, last year,†King added.
The question wasn’t all together puzzling to the southpaw. After all, he’s not totally oblivious to the results. And it’s not the first time the topic has come up.
“I was talking to my brother (Thursday) night about it, and I feel like pitching is just sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t,†King said. “I feel like everything is just kind of rolling more in my favor so far. Because I was telling him, I’m not doing anything different. (Velocity) has been up a little bit in the last couple weeks, which has been nice, but I think during the season it comes in waves.â€
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King had allowed just one earned run in his past 13 appearances entering Saturday afternoon. For the season, the left-hander compiled a 1.57 ERA with a 0.96 WHIP in 20 appearances (23 innings).
The sinker has played a big part in the success for the groundball-heavy reliever. He’s produced a groundball rate of 62.9% this season compared to a flyball rate of just 14.4%.
Opposing hitters this season have batted .250 against his sinker, slugged .295 and posted an expected batting average of .234 and an expected slugging percentage of .315.
Last season, that “same pitch†produced a batting average of .316 for opposing hitters and a .405 slugging percentage. They’ve posted an expected batting average of .307 and an expected slugging percentage of .427.
The difference in the expected batting averages and expected slugging percentages have been 73 points and 112 points, respectively.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol pointed to another pitch in an effort to explain the increased effectiveness of King’s sinker.
“The slider has been good, which helps the other one,†Marmol said on Friday. “I think it’s not just isolating the fastball and saying the fastball has been better. If he has something to play off of it that has been a sharper, better pitch for him, that allows you to now have a couple weapons. Which has made that other pitch better as well.â€
King also throws a changeup and rarely sprinkles in a four-seam fastball.
While King’s fastball hasn’t undergone any significant change over the past season, his slider is another story. Part of his struggles early in spring training came as he attempted to gain a better feel for that pitch.
“I went from sweeper back to my gyro slider last year,†King said. “It took me all year to kind of get a feel for it. So I think with that and then an offseason with it, I have a lot more feel and I trust it a lot more.â€
That pitch isn’t in the zone a lot to right-handed hitters, but it looks like a sinker and dives back in toward the right-handed hitter.
King also thinks that using his sinker on both sides of the plate to right-handed hitters has helped a lot this season.
“I just trust it,†King said. “I think getting it glove-side to righties more consistently has really helped that as well. So they can’t sit down and away and lean out over. That’s a big thing I’ve been trying to do this year, get more glove-side.â€
Pages serious about his craft
Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages swatted his first home run in the majors on Friday, but he’s already earned a reputation as a thief with a catcher’s mitt. His ability to steal strikes with his pitch framing has endeared him to the pitching staff.
Pages entered play on Saturday having been credited with 1 catcher framing run and a 49.5% strike rate, according to MLB Statcast data. Despite having caught the fewest pitches on the staff, his framing runs are the most among Cardinals catchers this season, and his strike rate barely edges out Willson Contreras’ 49.1%.
“Changing a count from 2-1 to 1-2, it changes everything,†Pages said. “You can go up and down and look at the numbers. It’s important. Every pitch is important out there. I’ve got to fight for them. There’s been a lot of work I’ve been putting in with (coach Jamie Pogue). Days I don’t play. Days I play. We’re just out there working on receiving better, moving the ball. Giving these pitchers more strikes.â€
Gallegos gives up three for Springfield
Right-handed reliever Giovanny Gallegos gave up three runs on three hits and two balks in one inning during his minor-league rehab appearance for Double-A Springfield on Friday night. Gallegos is working his way back from a shoulder impingement that forced him onto the injured list on May 6.