There's something amiss if Jason Schmidt is heaving 94-mph fastballs, and still not completely dominating. At the start of the year there was a lot of concern over missing velocity. After an injury scare, the velocity is coming back. The results have been better, but still not the Schmidt of old.
Last night's game was a typical Schmidt start for the recent season. He pitched good, not great, didn't get some breaks, and was able to be touched for a couple of runs. But the velocity was back, leading to an obvious insight: It's the command, stupid. The fastball/changeup combination is still there, and his curveball is looking good after being thawed for use. The problem, though, is that he can't corner pitch the fastball, and he can't locate as consistently as he could the last two years. Am I waaaay oversimplifying this?
Good win last night, even if it took a blown save to get there. It is much better to blow a save like last night's. About 60% of the time, that pitch is taken. Another 10%, it's popped up. What will kill a team are the blown saves like the one on Saturday. Two-out walks. 1-2 singles. Blown calls. Give me a first at-bat homer any day.