Hammond has really turned it around
I posted this in the game thread and I think it deserves it's own thread.
Hammond has been pitching real well lately. Since April 15 including the 2 last innings tonight Hammond has pitched 14 and a 1/3 innings with a K/BB of 14/1. He's only given up 2 ER for a spectacular 1.25 ERA and he has only given up 10 hits during that time. Plus Narron has been using him in situations where the game matters like when he came in and got the double play in Detroit on Saturday. Narron used him tonight when the Reds were leading 4-3 and he has done very well.
Re: Hammond has really turned it around
His ERA drops a point with every out. :lol:
Hammond was joking about his april ERA being the highest in the history of the game on Reds pregame last week. I guess if you have be pretty good to pitch as long as he has and still be effective at 40.
Re: Hammond has really turned it around
He's been getting hammered quite often by Reds fans with many saying he should be released. I am glad he is proving he can be a valuable member of the bullpen.
Re: Hammond has really turned it around
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimbo
He's been getting hammered quite often by Reds fans with many saying he should be released. I am glad he is proving he can be a valuable member of the bullpen.
We definitely need it and things are only going to get better with Mercker coming off the DL.
Re: Hammond has really turned it around
I'm glad he has been productive lately. It would be a shame to lose that hammer of a changeup that he brings. It's so hard for batters to figure that changeup out the first time they face him. He should be able to pitch one scoreless inning with that alone every night. Keep it up Chris.
Re: Hammond has really turned it around
As Hammond get older, he takes longer to get it going. He is fine. He almost needs to start in January so when April comes around he is fine.
It is nice to have another arm in the bullpen. Now if we could get White to wake up......
Re: Hammond has really turned it around
I said it in the heart of the "cut Hammond" firestorm....it was a situation very similar to David Weathers last year. He started off awfully, nobody in thier right mind could argue that. But if you give him time, he'll come around and it appears Hammond has done just that.
Guys with track records like Hammond don't magically forget how to pitch.
Re: Hammond has really turned it around
Great thread and Merkers gettin shut down has made it even more obvious that Chris can contribute to this pen. But if your a casual fan and just look at stats in the paper, you would never realize just how effective Chris has been.
Re: Hammond has really turned it around
They talked about it on a few radio sports stations over the past week saying that Hammond is the type of guy who WILL NOT settle for giving up runs and SUCKING lol
Said he's been throwing extra in the Bullpen during some games, and in pre-games working on his stuff.
Hopefully he can step up cause eventually the Coffey's and Weathers or the world WILL WEAR down and we'll need 1 or 2 others to really step it up in our bullpen to help keep everyone fresh.
Coffey
Weathers
Mercker
Hammond
2 Righties and 2 Lefties, if we can get those 4 rolling and throwing some high quality Relief, then look out Playoffs!!
Re: Hammond has really turned it around
I was suprised Coffey pitched tonight, even though he hasn't since Friday... I'd have saved him.
And I'm wondering if Belisle will ever pitch again.
Re: Hammond has really turned it around
Yea, I took in the game tonight and it was awfully nice to see Hammond have the kind of outing that he did. The part I remember was him dropping in that 64 mph curveball which absolutely froze Geoff Jenkins. With Hammond, Merker, Coffey and Weathers, perhaps we have the base of a solid bullpen. Heaven knows if we keep around this pace til July 31st and we can still reasonably consider ourselves contenders, we could pick up some supplementary bullpen arms for minor league fodder. All I know is, this Reds team, while erratic, can be a lot of fun to watch. If we can find those couple more, decent arms, we could find ourselves in the hunt.
Re: Hammond has really turned it around
he can go out there with his 63 MPH changeup and establish that early and throw an 85 MPH fastball that will look like its 100+ to the batter and get them out every time.
Re: Hammond has really turned it around
Welcome to May. Unless the guy goes all Jose Manzinillo on you, there's no reason to judge after 5 or 6 appearances. I'd say give a guy at least 10 appearances before you completely write him off. Usually guys with a track record don't just fall of the cliff.
Re: Hammond has really turned it around
Quote:
Originally Posted by TeamBoone
I was suprised Coffey pitched tonight, even though he hasn't since Friday... I'd have saved him.
And I'm wondering if Belisle will ever pitch again.
Belisle is being saved for disasters type situations I think, and with a kid (EZ) and Milton in the rotation its not a bad plan ;)
I don't mind Coffey pitching, don't want him to get rusty, I would have used him only for 1 though
Re: Hammond has really turned it around
Quote:
Originally Posted by KronoRed
Belisle is being saved for disasters type situations I think, and with a kid (EZ) and Milton in the rotation its not a bad plan ;)
I don't mind Coffey pitching, don't want him to get rusty, I would have used him only for 1 though
That's kind of how I feel about Belisle. When the Reds really need him, he's had so little work that he might not pitch worth a darn. An inning here and there would probably do more good than harm.