Keegan Akin (FRE) vs Zach Thompson (WS) (FB, Knucklecurve)
Akin – Used fastball, slider combination through first two innings. Added in an occasional curve and change after wards. Keeps ball down pretty well. Gets swings and misses on fastball outside and up in the zone. Good pickoff move. Nice smooth repeatable delivery. Reminds me of Wei Yin Chen. Struggled with command of his slider and buried three in the dirt for wild pitches. Did not see any swings and misses on secondaries through three innings. Finally got a swing an miss for a K on a low slider against a righty. Not sure if he’s working on something but catcher set up low and inside 90% of the time. The catcher (Levy) was not doing a good job of setting up on both sides of plate and consistently set up so far inside that even when Akin hit the mitt it was called a ball. Akin got all but one strikeout on fastballs. Despite the strikeouts, he was in a lot of deep counts and batters were able to foul off many two strike offerings. Command on this night was sub par on everything. It was 71 degrees at game time so weather was not a factor.
Austin Hays – 1PA, Struck out on a 2-2 curveball under his hands inside. 2PA, used quick hands to turn a down and in 2-1 fastball for ground ball single in 5-6 hole. Really struggling on the curveball. Swung through several including a 3-2 curveball. Looks like he sits fastball until he gets two strikes, but still can’t make contact with the low middle curveball even when he should expect it.
Ryan Mountcastle – Sharply singled on 3-2 high fastball up the middle. Got to a ball in the hole and made an awful throw to first bouncing the ball about ten feet from first base and off line for an error. Swung and missed badly on a 1-1 knucklecurve in the dirt, the came back and took an outside fastball to fly out deep to right.
Randolph Gassaway – Swung and missed by a about foot and half on a 1-0 outside knucklecurve before weakly lining out to 3B on the next knucklecurve. K’d on curve in next PA swinging over one in dirt.
Jomar Reyes – Grounded out to 3B on first pitch fastball in 1PA. Struck out on 3-2 curve, swinging over it. Seems to hit a lot of choppers both fair and foul.
Yermin Mercedes – Doesn’t look comfortable against the 12-6 knucklecurve. Single into left-center on belt high fastball down middle.
