Minor League Baseball Video Room Review – Durham vs. Charlotte

Durham Bulls Hitting: 6 runs, 8 hits, 7 walks, 6 strikeouts

First Inning

• Dayron Varona strikes out swinging.
• Willy Adames lines out to right fielder Jason Bourgeois.
• Michael McKenry walks.
• Casey Gillaspie triples (1) on a fly ball to right fielder Jason Bourgeois. Michael McKenry scores.
• Patrick Leonard strikes out swinging.

Giolito has certainly made some adjustments on his mechanics from the mess he was dealing with in 2016. He’s also lost some weight, but he was fluctuating between an easy, effortless delivery when he generates his bend at his knees and hips in his delivery and a notably high-effort delivery when he bends from his hips and back in his delivery.

The first strikeout looked very good, and you could see that he was confident in his fastball and change. Going to his curve on Adames multiple times led to missing the target significantly, especially in the “bad” delivery.

Adames really hit the cover off of the ball that he took to right field, going opposite field to right-center with loud contact that the park held and Bourgeois made a very impressive running catch to keep from extra bases.

While the curve was missing out of the zone, Giolito’s slider was missing within the zone, and Adames pounded a hanging slider. McKenry walked on three of his four balls being fastballs that Giolito short-changed in his bad delivery when he short-stepped his landing spot, leading to the fastball carrying rather than having good sink.

After struggling with his off-speed stuff, Gillaspie obviously was expecting Giolito to want to get a fastball over and was ready on the first pitch, driving it into the right field corner.

To his credit, Giolito regained his composure after the Gillaspie triple and attacked Leonard. Leonard was able to spoil plenty of pitches, though, driving up Giolito’s pitch count to 27 in the first inning before striking out on a very well-placed curve.

Second Inning

• Shane Peterson flies out to center fielder Adam Engel.
• Curt Casali grounds out, shortstop Everth Cabrera to first baseman Danny Hayes.
• Mike Marjama lines out to center fielder Adam Engel.

Not a ton to write about with this inning. Giolito still had his curve missing spots, but the slider was in better location, and his delivery was his good delivery throughout the inning, making short work of the Bulls on just 7 pitches, a good bounce back from his long first inning.

Third Inning

• Jake Hager grounds out, shortstop Everth Cabrera to first baseman Danny Hayes.
• Dayron Varona walks.
• With Willy Adames batting, Dayron Varona steals (2) 2nd base.
• Willy Adames called out on strikes.
• Michael McKenry called out on strikes.

Giolito didn’t get a call on a very well-placed slider to open the 3rd, and he was throwing angry and using minimal time between pitches the entire inning after not getting that call.

The curve remained an issue in the third. He was focusing on trying to use his off-speed stuff on the first two hitters, throwing two fastballs that I noted over the first 12 pitches of the inning on the first two hitters.

After going to 2-1 on Adames, Giolito began just attacking with the fastball and change, and locating his fastball around, getting both Adames and McKenry looking at pitches on the fringe of the zone, located right where the catcher called for them.

Fourth Inning

• Casey Gillaspie flies out to left fielder Jose Vinicio.
• Patrick Leonard grounds out to first baseman Danny Hayes.
• Shane Peterson walks.
• With Curt Casali batting, Shane Peterson steals (1) 2nd base.
• Curt Casali lines out to shortstop Everth Cabrera.

Giolito had a solid approach against the first two hitters of the innings. He mixed up the fastball, slider, and change very well. The curve still missed, but he had the hitters off base.

Giolito then tried to paint corners too much with Peterson. He came inside on Peterson one time in the at bat, and Peterson launched the pitch about 400′ foul. From that point, he stayed away from Peterson, leading to the walk.

A good throw from Blair on the Peterson steal would have been an easy out, but Giolito also wasn’t holding Peterson on hard either. He focused himself in well on Casali at the plate, getting a sawed-off weak pop out two pitches later.

Fifth Inning

• Mike Marjama homers (3) on a fly ball to left field.
• Jake Hager singles on a ground ball to second baseman Yoan Moncada.
• With Dayron Varona batting, wild pitch by Lucas Giolito, Jake Hager to 2nd.
• Dayron Varona walks.
• Pitching Change: Chris Beck replaces Lucas Giolito.
• With Willy Adames batting, wild pitch by Chris Beck, Jake Hager to 3rd.
• Willy Adames grounds into a double play, third baseman Tyler Ladendorf to second baseman Yoan Moncada to first baseman Danny Hayes. Jake Hager scores. Dayron Varona out at 2nd.
• Michael McKenry grounds out, second baseman Yoan Moncada to first baseman Danny Hayes.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

Giolito had Marjama 3-0 when Marjama jumped all over his grooved pitch, taking the ball out deep to left field.

Hager’s single was right up the middle, nearly clipping Giolito, and bounding over the bag before Moncada snared it on the edge of the outfield grass before he couldn’t get the ball cleanly to throw to first. It would have been a long throw to even get Hager, so the single was the right call.

Blair moved awkwardly to block a pitch, the first bad block he’d had all game on a number of pitches in the dirt, and the ball hit odd off his shin protector, leading to Hager getting to second.

Giolito was still short-stepping his delivery, leaving his arm to do everything on his pitches, and that led to a lot of missed locations in the inning before walking Varona and being pulled from the game.

Beck came in with a different look, flashing a sinker/change combo along with cut variations on his fastball.

Hager getting to third was due to an excellent read by Hager more than a bad pitch by Beck, whose pitch just bounced a bit off of Blair’s shin guards. Hager also scored due to excellent heads-up running on the double play, delaying his break to the plate until Ladendorf released the ball as he’d have been easily gunned down if he took off on contact.

Beck’s stuff seemed to be moving a bit more than he was even used to, as he missed just off the plate on a few pitches as the ball had excellent movement, but that movement took it off the plate before a heavy moving sinker got the final ground out of the inning.

Sixth Inning

• Casey Gillaspie grounds out, first baseman Danny Hayes to pitcher Chris Beck.
• Patrick Leonard singles on a line drive to left fielder Jose Vinicio.
• Shane Peterson doubles (3) on a fly ball to left fielder Jose Vinicio. Patrick Leonard to 3rd.
• Curt Casali singles on a line drive to left fielder Jose Vinicio. Patrick Leonard scores. Shane Peterson to 3rd.
• Mike Marjama strikes out swinging.
• Jake Hager walks. Curt Casali to 2nd.
• Dayron Varona grounds out, second baseman Yoan Moncada to first baseman Danny Hayes.

Hayes made an incredibly impressive play on a wicked short hop to retire Gillaspie. Beck continued to pound the lower part of the zone with Leonard, likely missing getting a strike 3 call when he missed his catcher’s location, but the ball was still in the zone.

Leonard did a very nice piece of hitting to drive a ball to the left field wall, but it was well-played to hold him to a long single.

Peterson spoiled a number of solid sinkers before Beck hung a slider on the outside corner that Peterson drove the opposite way to left field for a double.

After a mound meeting to change signs, Casali drove the next pitch to left field on an 0-2 count.

The Knights seemingly pitched around Hager, giving him nothing close to the zone before getting Varona to ground out on a chopper that was easy work for Moncada.

Seventh Inning

• Defensive switch from left field to shortstop for Jose Vinicio.
• Defensive switch from third base to left field for Tyler Ladendorf.
• Nicky Delmonico remains in the game as the third baseman.
• Pitching Change: Matt Purke replaces Chris Beck.
• Willy Adames grounds out, third baseman Nicky Delmonico to first baseman Danny Hayes.
• Michael McKenry walks.
• Offensive Substitution: Pinch-runner Cade Gotta replaces Michael McKenry.
• With Casey Gillaspie batting, Cade Gotta steals (1) 2nd base.
• Casey Gillaspie singles on a line drive to left fielder Tyler Ladendorf. Cade Gotta scores.
• With Patrick Leonard batting, wild pitch by Matt Purke, Casey Gillaspie to 2nd.
• Patrick Leonard flies out to right fielder Jason Bourgeois.
• Shane Peterson doubles (4) on a line drive to right fielder Jason Bourgeois. Casey Gillaspie scores.
• Curt Casali walks.
• Pitching Change: Giovanni Soto replaces Matt Purke.
• Mike Marjama flies out to center fielder Adam Engel.

Purke is a former elite pitcher that had a fairly storied path to finally making his major league debut in 2016. He was originally a top 20 selection in the draft out of high school that didn’t sign, experienced injury and performance issues and fell to the 3rd round after college. He’s had injuries as a pro that also delayed his development and moved Purke into the bullpen.

Purke’s stuff was quite good on this night in movement, but his location was atrocious. Adames grounded out early in the plate appearance, but the other hitters who waited him out either walked or saw something good to hit.

Purke hung a slider to Peterson that he is very lucky “only’ was driven to the gap as a double as he absolutely smoked the ball, but he hit it on a line rather than getting under it.

Soto got Marjama to swing under the second pitch he saw to fly out and end the inning.

Eighth Inning

• Pitching Change: Zack Burdi replaces Giovanni Soto.
• Jake Hager grounds out, shortstop Jose Vinicio to first baseman Danny Hayes.
• Dayron Varona called out on strikes.
• Willy Adames pops out to second baseman Yoan Moncada.

Burdi was certainly one to enjoy seeing. His arm speed is absolutely incredible, though it’s obvious why his violent delivery wouldn’t work as a starter.

Burdi opened Hager with a 99 MPH rising fastball and then bounced a 100-MPH fastball to give the Bulls an idea of what they’d be facing.

Burdi comes from a low 3/4 arm slot, which makes his slider have a unique break. He also gets unique sink on his fastball from the angle that he throws, usually an angle that lends to more lateral movement.

What was incredible to watch was the movement that Burdi got on a 100 MPH pitch. He had excellent sink on the pitch, but he also got good arm side run as well on the pitch.

Varona was so overmatched that he watched a strike with one foot out of the box and watched strike three finish right in the middle of the plate, though the pitch began on the outside corner and worked in.

Adames turned on a 100 MPH pitch and nearly had a double down the line that hooked just foul. Out of 15 pitches, Burdi hit 100+ on 6 of them, and multiple were registered at 99.

Next: Game Wrap Up