Wilson Vs. Cain - The Real World Series Match Up

Unfortunately, the match up between Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum did not turn out to be the pitcher's duel that everyone had hoped. San Fran claimed the victory with a whopping score of 11-7. Game 2 is proving to be the type of game everyone was expecting It is the middle of the 7th now and the score is San Fran 1 - Texas 0.

I've been studying CJ Wilson pitch much of this season and I am increasingly impressed with his ability to locate all of his pitches in any count. Although he has been removed from the game with a blister on his pitching finger, he has proved his salt while battling the San Fran lineup. His only mistake being a fastball up in the zone, but not up enough, to Edgar Renteria.

I say many similarities between Wilson and Andy Petitte. Both lefties utilize a low 90s fastball and a good breaking ball that they use as a back door and front door breaking ball. By being able to locate his slider both inside and outside to right handed hitters, he prevents hitters from being able to sit on one pitcher or one location.

Similarly, Matt Cain has been able to remain scoreless through the entire playoff race by utilizing a devastating sinker/slider/change up combination that baffles hitters. I really enjoy how compact his hand break and arm swing is as he delivers the ball to the same release point on every single pitch. This make it next to impossible to for hitters to differentiate between what pitch is being thrown until it is in the hitting zone. The consistent downward action of all of his pitchers entices hitters to beat the ball into the ground, inducing double plays and routine groundballs.

The score is now 2-0 and Matt Cain is in control. Still, both pitchers are to be studied to try and emulate their deliveries and hopefully their success.

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Matt Cain

Another Sunday means its time for another Big Leaguer Breakdown. This week's victim is another from YouTube user laflippin's fantastic slow motion posts. This time around, we look at a guy whose 2009 was nothing short of an amazing breakout campaign. Having never posted an ERA lower than 3.65 in his previous 5 full seasons (which is pretty good anyways), Matt Cain completed the '09 season with a minuscule 2.89 ERA and 14-8 record on a mediocre San Fransisco team. Enjoy this week's analysis of another major leaguer's delivery.


Click here for the YouTube video of Matt Cain delivering the baseball.

The video begins with Matt out of his wind-up with the ball in his glove and throwing hand by his side. When a pitcher does this, it is important to have the ball held between the pinky and thumb so that it does not rest deep in the glove. The reasoning here is that you don't want the baseball to be difficult to grab and get the seams you need for the pitch you want. I don't know if Cain does this, but I know from experience that it is important to set the ball shallow in the glove and make sure the seams are set either in a two-seam or four-seam pattern. This is important because most pitch grips can be achieved from those two starting points.

As Cain drops back and starts his delivery, we can see how balanced he is with his feet slightly wider than shoulder width as he begins his drop step. Study closely around the :30 mark. We see Cain utilize a very short drop step to maintain this type of balance when the leg begins to lift. Most young pitchers love to step way back and off to the side. I much prefer a drop step similar to Cain's from a balance stand point.

The next position to check out is the :45 mark. We see one of my favorite positions with the leg lift at its highest point. Notice how Matt has purposefully rotated his torso toward 2nd base to hide the ball from the hitter. His hands are tucked around his belt in a good starting position. This low hand slot may be low for some pitcher's taste but it helps with the hand break which is about to follow. However, at the :46 mark, he raises his hands to begin that hand break and separates his hands with what I will call the "down hill" hand break. In other words, the front shoulder and arm is angled upwards toward the sky and the throwing arm is bent in a down angle in relation to the front arm. This is one method of generating whip action in the arm as it comes through, but it is very important to get the back elbow up and through as Matt does at the :51 second mark.

From there, the hips fire through and the elbows follow. Watch how the front elbow rotates forward and down without yanking the body off the midline. The throwing arm follows through with level shoulders and a high three quarters release point. At the :54 second mark, the finish is excellent over a slightly bent front knee. Young pitchers could learn a lot from Cain's ability to go straight toward the target and get extension over that front side.

As always, continue studying the mechanics of the guys who know how to do it.

Keep the questions coming and I'll keep you up to date.

Until Next Time!!