Every morning, we review the nastiest pitches from the previous day’s games in glorious high-definition GIFs. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite pitch and check back this weekend to see if it will be in contention for the GIF of the Third Quarter Contest. Did we miss your favorite pitch? Send us a tweet next time @PitcherList, and we’ll GIF it up and give you a shoutout here in the article.
Chris Paddack’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/thoughtfulvigorousamericancreamdraft
Chris Paddack was astounding Wednesday night, allowing just a single hit over 7.2 innings. The spectacular outing lowers the rookie’s ERA on the season to an impressive 2.70 that ranks near the top of the National League. Add in his 5:1 K/BB ratio and his extreme youth (just 23 years old), and the Padres will have a heck of an ace heading their rotation for a long time.
Mike Clevinger’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/spicygranularbeardedcollie
Despite being plagued by injury to start this season, Mike Clevinger has made the absolute most of his starts he’s had since returning, and over his past three starts he’s allowed just two earned runs with 27 strikeouts over 17 innings. Wednesday’s outing came in the form of a six-inning, 12-strikeout domination of the Detroit Tigers, allowing only a single run. It looks like Clevinger has finally put his injuries behind him and should return to the ace he was projected to be to start this season.
Yu Darvish’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/impartialesteemedfly
After the pretty catastrophically bad start Yu Darvish had, he’s turned it up since the All-Star break. He’s allowed just four hits over 12 innings, along with 15 strikeouts and just one walk (particularly surprising for 2019 Yu). His ERA has dropped from 5.01 to 4.46, and it appears that maybe, just maybe, Darvish is back. Fingers crossed because when he’s on, he’s one of the most fun pitchers in baseball to watch.
Matt Andriese’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/brownamusedamberpenshell
Matt Andriese has been pretty bad for the Diamondbacks out of the bullpen this season, rocking a less-than-stellar 5.36 ERA, though that number is slightly skewed by a 0 innings pitched, five earned run meltdown against the Giants. The move to the bullpen exclusively has helped Andriese post the highest K/9 of his career to this point, but he’s also walking far more batters than he ever has. A 4.14 FIP though leaves hope that there’s improvement in Andriese’s future.
Ryan Pressly’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/limpgrippingbeardedcollie
Like most elements of the well-oiled Houston Astros machine, Ryan Pressly has been stellar in 2019, rocking a 1.49 ERA and a 53:7 K/BB ratio. Pressly was already great in Minnesota but has become an absolute monster since being sent to the Astros, with a 1.23 ERA and 0.716 WHIP in 68 games between this year and last.
GIF of the Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below, and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the Third Quarter Contest.
[polldaddy poll=10366351]