RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Sports and Wrestling Zito's struggles baffling

1. He misses Rick Peterson.

The long-time Oakland pitching coach is working his magic with the New York Mets, having rejoined Howe when his contract with the A's expired. Peterson's replacement, former Oakland pitcher Curt Young, is to a degree an extension of Peterson, having taught in the same style while working his way up the organizational ladder as a coach, but has had trouble getting on the same wave length with Zito.

Peterson, as much psychologist as hardballer, could talk about a variety of different subjects with Zito and find unusual ways to get the intelligent, creative Zito to focus on his next start. You wonder how much Zito misses that.

In a recent Sports Illustrated article, Zito admitted that he thinks too much. He said it might be an advantage to be "a dumb jock.''

2. He misses catcher Ramon Hernandez.

This may be a reach, as Hernandez is not regarded as the second coming of Charlie O'Brien, but Zito had worked alongside Hernandez his entire career. General manager Billy Beane ended that relationship when he traded Hernandez to San Diego in a deal for center fielder Mark Kotsay last offseason.

Damian Miller, the new catcher, is by reputation an extremely solid receiver but has done his best work with power pitchers Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior.

3. He's lost the deception with his changeup.

At least one scout has suggested that he's developed a flaw in his delivery that tips off that pitch. His changeup got hit so hard in a recent start at Fenway Park that some wondered if the Red Sox might be stealing signs.

"That makes us laugh, because we're not the brightest of guys over here,'' Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon said. "We're not smart enough to do that. We didn't know what was coming.''

But could they have sensed when he was about to throw a changeup? Young says he has reviewed tapes and seen no evidence that Zito is tipping pitches.

4. He's been bothered by speculation about a possible trade.

Given how well Rich Harden and Mark Redman are pitching at the back of the rotation, as well as the presence of rising prospect Joe Blanton in the system, some wonder if Zito is suddenly expendable. ESPN's Peter Gammons is among those who have speculated that Zito could be traded for an offensive-minded second baseman at the July 31 trade deadline.

This is surprising, given not just Zito's record but that he won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2006 season.

5. Hitters have belatedly adjusted to his style of pitching.

After the July 6 start at Fenway, Damon confirmed that Red Sox hitters did all their damage on fastballs and changeups. They had decided to lay off his curveball completely.

"We couldn't even swing at it,'' Damon said. "It was starting at our heads and ending at our ankles.''

Zito needs to be ahead in the count to be at his most effective with his curveball. He's become at least somewhat defensive on the mound, needing 17.3 pitches to get through the average inning.

Quote:

---

Soy un perdedor said:
If his fastball really does clock in at 88 (and I thought it was around 92-94)

---

Quote:

---

The 88 mph fastball is a changeup for most pitchers.

---

Quote:

---

Zito has that in-your-face mentality. Last year, his heater was going 92, and he was using that curve to scare guys. Rely on a pitch too much, and players adjust. Simple. Only so much can be given to coaches and catchers. A lot is due, and Zito has good mechanics, but I think some batters might have wised up. "Hey, maybe if I lay off the 12-6. it will go low, and be a strike." Force a man to throw strikes, and you take away a lot of his leverage. Then, he has to throw that no-so-overpowering fastball or changeup.

---