Fastball Quotations | Page 4

Talk about command ? he was in command all day. We established the fastball early. That made the pitches after that all that much better.

It's a matter of commanding his fastball and being consistent. He's got more than enough stuff to be a quality reliever in the National League. It sets everything else up when he's throwing his fastball. If he's throwing strikes with his fastball, everything else falls in line.

It looked like he was trying to feel for his breaking ball a little bit, that's what it looked like he threw in the dirt. Fastball was coming out good. Probably been putting a little pressure on himself, trying to do too much. First time out there, for any pitcher, it's the first time out there. You don't know what to expect. You're just trying to go out there and get a good feel for it, really.

It looked like he didn't get it where he wanted it, ... It was a fastball or cutter out over the plate.

It was a pitch that just took off across the plate. (Sanders) is a dead fastball hitter and we all know that, but if we locate it where we want to, we'll be all right. We just didn't get it where we wanted to.

It was a middle-in fastball -- my favorite pitch.

It was more of getting a rhythm and getting strike one. Getting strike one on a hitter makes it easier. I was pounding the fastball in there, keeping it down on the inner half and the outer half.

It was nasty. The nastiest one, though, was when he struck out Lane on a fastball down. That's where he's got to learn to pitch.

I've just got to locate a little better on my fastball - that makes me have confidence, when I locate the ball a little better.

It was a good day. My fastball I was able to locate and keep them off-balance.

It was a big game for me. Just to show myself that I can be here, pitch to big league hitters, get them out and throw my fastball and other pitches.

It was a 3-2 fastball up in the zone. He did a good job on (it).

It was pretty much a fastball down the middle. I felt bad. I was looking for a pitch a little lower. I was looking for something down and he actually got it belt high. I was pretty surprised I missed it, but it wasn't the best of swings. Fortunately, now, I missed it, because if I had put it into play, who knows what would've happened.

It's very encouraging. That's a big part of what a pitcher does, having confidence in (the) fastball and being able to go with No. 1.

It took me a couple of innings to get adjusted and I started to get in a groove about the fourth inning. My fastball and curve were really working well.

It was good to see us able to get Wes in the game. He has filthy stuff, but got a fastball in the wrong spot (Wednesday). We couldn't get him in a game fast enough. I give him a lot of credit. He allowed that hit when he came in where they tied the game, and it could have played some head games with him. But, he settled down in the sixth and did a good job.

The turning point was hitting Luna. He struggles with breaking pitches, and that's probably what we should have went with there, but we decided to go with a fastball inside, and it got away from me. At that point, the game changed.

They hit every fastball he threw. When you spot somebody 10 runs, it is pretty tough to win.

It was just amazing. It was a 3-2 count, waiting on the curveball but he threw me a fastball down the middle so I jumped on it in a hurry. I knew it was gone when it hit the bat.

It was a fastball up. The big thing is I threw without pain. I'll go out there again in two days and see what I can do.

It was a fastball on the inside part of the plate. I was looking for something in be-cause that's where they had thrown a lot to me this weekend. I just stayed within myself and let my hands do the work.

It was a fastball inside. It didn't move a lot.

It was a fastball in, and I didn't get it in enough.

It was a fastball down. No pitch is ever exactly where you want it, but that one wasn't belt high, right down the middle. It's not just Chipper. It's all those guys. You can never relax against them.

It was a fastball because I wasn't going to walk in a run there. I was going to throw him a strike and make him hit the ball. I thought it was a good pitch. I would have never guessed the ball was going to go out of the park.

It was just a fastball I had to get over in that situation. I didn't want to fall behind 3-1. It was inner third where it was supposed to be. It was up and he deposited it.

They've got some guys who throw pretty hard. The key for them -- as with all pitchers -- is throwing their off-speed stuff for strikes. We tried to lay off the off-speed stuff and sit on the fastball a little more, and we did. Overall, we hit the ball hard. We hit the ball hard the first four innings but just right at people.

Once he settled in, he really did a nice job keeping Taft off balance. They're a really good fastball hitting club, and Marcus was able to throw his off-speed pitches for strikes.

Not too bad, huh? I just guessed fastball and threw my hands at it and it just happened to go.

Any time you face your old teammates, you want to do well - especially since it had been such a short time since I got traded. My fastball command was the best it's been all spring. If I can feel like that every time out, I'll be happy.

So far his breaking ball is better than last year. He's also throwing his change with confidence. He can throw it for strikes when he's behind in the count. Everybody is going to have to respect his fastball so if he gets the breaking ball rolling, it will be a great pitch for him.

That's a real good start. He threw me the fastball and I just tried to get the head of the bat out and get a hit. So that was cool.

Their starting pitcher had two really tough pitches. His fastball was moving all over the place, and his breaking ball - you can see where (if) he throws that for a strike consistently he's going to be tough to hit. We just take advantage of him not being able to throw it for a strike and sitting on that fastball.

The fastball is coming, but I'm not thinking about the fastball right now. I'm thinking about the game, and the fastball is going to come.

The fastball is as good as it's ever been with location.

I learned that I should have known better than to do that. You can't go out and try to blow the fastball by these guys. If you're just going to throw fastballs at them, then they're gonna hit it out.

I'm able to spot my fastball and everything works off that. I'm trying to take it one game at a time, so let's just say I'm in a good groove.

I'm necessarily swayed by the outcome more than by what he does with his pitches. If he's showing pretty decent location with his ball and he's able to throw his pitches over the plate and use something other than his fastball when he gets behind, that will be good. He was sharp today, he went right after hitters.

I mixed my pitches and threw my fastball with more consistency. Everything is working.

I had nothing going for me. My fastball was flat. I couldn't locate and was leaving the ball in the white (over the plate). I've got to be more consistent. All our starters need to be more consistent.

I'll be thinking about it, but I want the ball again. I just got behind him and he was looking fastball. I gave him a fastball to hit. the location was off, I didn't get ahead. I just didn't pitch today. I was trying to get it low, try to put him on the ground. if he was going to get a swing on it, I wanted him to swing and hit it down.

I had a game plan going up there. I know he throws a lot of sliders. He throws hard, but usually his fastball is just to keep you honest. And I stuck with the game plan of going up there looking for a slider and just not trying to do too much.

I had a game plan going up there, ... I know he throws a lot of sliders. He throws hard, but usually his fastball is just to keep you honest. And I stuck with the game plan of going up there looking for a slider and just not trying to do too much.

In the first inning, I didn't have anything, ... My fastball wasn't right. Then I loosened up and threw pretty well the rest of the game.

In the end, we got to the slow and easy takeoff, and when my foot hits the ground and my arm starts forward, then I explode. My fastball has gone from 87-93 to 95-96.

I located my fastball good, and my breaking ball was good. I made some quality pitches and kept the ball down. The fun thing about early on is getting the feel back and competing.

I know him, ... He throws a fastball away and then he comes in with a slider. I was ready for a slider, and he hung one.

I know he throws a lot of sliders, ... He throws hard but usually his fastball is just to keep you honest.

I just look for a fastball and just swing as hard as I can.

I just had to stay calm. He threw me an inside fastball and I turned on it.

I just got a good pitch to hit, a fastball up in the zone, and fortunately it landed on the other side of the fence.

I haven't seen the replay, ... Obviously, it got a lot of the plate. But that's what I was trying to do. I was trying to throw a fastball over the plate because I know he isn't a home run hitter in the regular season. He hit zero, right?

I have to thank Roger very much because in Cuba I was throwing a two-seam fastball and he taught me how to throw a four-seam fastball. Every time I did something wrong with my mechanics, he helped he correct my errors.

In the past I thought I could do a lot with my fastball and changeup, ... From last year on I've been a little more open. I realize to be a very successful pitcher in the league I should develop a few more pitches.

In that situation, you just have to really focus more. And I think most hitters are looking for a fastball there. After he swung at the first curve, I just kept calling for it and it worked out.

I just kind of gave in and threw him a fastball down the middle. The second one was a slider that was supposed to be down and I just left it up.

I just felt better overall, my body and my arm felt better. My fastball was pretty good today. I was locating both sides of the plate with all my pitches.

I pitched alright because I didn't really have the off -speed pitch, but my fastball was better than most days.

Clutch hitting has been the missing ingredient for us. The Cubans are very good fastball hitters and they showed they were ready whenever they got that pitch.

His breaking ball, change-up and fastball are sharp. His command is good. So I'm pleased. That's what you want more than anything, that they execute what they're trying to do and he was doing it fairly well. There were three hits that accounted for his runs -- two doubles and a homer. Of the three, only one was a little bit of a mistake.

His arm angle was a little different. I think he threw a little more sidearm than when he was with us, ... I think it caused his fastball to move more.

His location is not there, obviously, as his fastball was jumping all over. But the ball was coming out of his hand good, he threw free and easy and felt no pain, so that's a good thing.

His key pitch is his fastball but his strength is his incredible intelligence at such an young age. He really knows how to set up hitters and he hits his spots better than any pitcher I have ever coached.

His fastball was very dominant tonight, and he had great control of all of his pitches. He threw a great game like he has all year.

His fastball was short (Friday), and his command was mediocre. That being said, you're normally not able to make that statement and have a pitcher only give up one run in five-plus innings at Coors Field. So he deserves a pat on the back for that.

His fastball was moving pretty well and his location was excellent. And the big thing was our defense made a lot of plays for him.

His fastball location the first two innings was not there, and that was forcing him to make too many pitches.

His fastball is above average in terms of life and velocity, he has a hard breaking ball and the changeup has become a solid third pitch. And when his command gets better and he's able to throw his pitches where he wants, he can be a really good all-around pitcher.

His fastball command was a lot better than it was the other day. He was just really aggressive. It's an attitude I'd like to see more of.

His fastball command was a little erratic, but the velocity was good.

His fastball command was a little erratic, but the command on his offspeed pitches was there, and his velocity was good. He got his work in. It did not set him back.

Christian did a great job of changing speeds. After that first inning, he kept us off balance mixing the fastball and he spotted his off-speed pitches so well, we were behind in the count.

Chris was outstanding. His curveball wasn't there, but he had his changeup working and he was working his fastball to both sides of the plate. That's the key to him, having two pitches and using them effectively.

He's spotting his fastball and has developed a slider. He's a big guy and he's strong.

He's so tough because his fastball might be his third-best pitch.

He's throwing the ball very well. His fastball still has a lot of movement and he has good command. He has good mound presence, which is what the scouts like.

He's the best young pitcher I've seen this season. You couldn't sit on his fastball because he had such a good curve and a change. And his fastball moved. He was tough.

He's really struggling to command the baseball right now. He's struggling to command his fastball and his breaking ball. It's just a little mechanical issue that we'll continue to work on. But he got a little better as the game went on.

I don't know if (the 12 strikeouts) is a record or not, but it's close. He really had his fastball working tonight.

(Charlie) is a little more poised and confident this year. Not that he's cocky, but he knows that if he throws his fastball for strikes, he'll be successful.

By staying back I was able to get the arm angle I need for my fastball and my slider, and I haven't had it consistently. To be able to throw 96 and 97 in the eighth inning after throwing 100 pitches is ... is ... me.

He throws pretty hard, he has a pretty good cut fastball and he?s somebody who has composure in there. There?s not a lot which bothers him out there. He?s very much a competitor. He does a great job of maintaining his composure in tough spots.

He throws an upper-80s fastball with a strong slider and keeps the ball down. He's a competitive kid.

He throws a lot of first pitch strikes. He doesn't fall behind in the count and that allows him to go to the off speed pitches. When his curve is working it makes his fastball look 10 miles per hour faster.

He threw well. Was ahead in the count most of the night. He had good movement on his fastball and his curveball was effective this evening as well.

He threw the ball well. He had good velocity on his fastball and a good breaking ball. He was impressive.

He threw the ball really well and had a pretty nice fastball that he located pretty good, and he just stayed with it. It was an usually pitched game. You don't see a guy use primarily fastballs, but he was locating it where he wanted to and he stayed with it.

He threw me one fastball in, and I kind of didn't see it real well off him,

He threw me one fastball and I didn't see it really well,

He threw his fastball for strikes, and when he got behind, he threw his slider for strikes against an aggressive-hitting team.

He threw free and easy out there. He had some pop on his fastball and was able to throw his breaking ball without any complaint. So physically he was fine.

He threw as good as we were expecting and hoping he'd throw, ... He was throwing the fastball, using the fastball, locating the fastball and working off of that. Once he does that, his slider and changeup are unbelievable.

He threw a fastball down the middle, and I think I can hit that. I hit it pretty good.

He threw a fastball and I got lucky. I think he hit my bat rather than me hitting the pitch.

He thinks he's found something, a little something to keep his head centered and still on the plate. He made better pitches. His fastball command improved as a the spring went on, his breaking ball sharpened up. He feels confident going into the season.

He's low in the strike zone with his fastball and has an out pitch with his change up. He's worked hard on the command of his fastball. I think he's made improvement.

He's a pretty good pitcher. The movement on his fastball is something you can't teach.

He's a pain-in-the-neck when he's on. He can throw his fastball at 97 (mph) and slider at 92, but gets in trouble with his control. He has to throw strikes.

If I can throw my curveball and changeup in fastball counts, it's going to help me so much, especially when I have runners in scoring position because major-league hitters are aggressive, especially when there's runners on base,

If I can get an out with one or two pitches and use my sinker or my cutter, I'm better off, ... I stopped being a village boy, thinking that I can throw any stone, any rock through a wall, and started thinking about being a guy that could last longer, to take some off my fastball and not to depend only on throwing hard.