Capuano, Downward Angles & More
Tonight the Cubs face Chris Capuano. He's a lefty with a herky-jerky, deceptive delivery. Pitch-wise, he features an average fastball, above average curveball, and a pretty good changeup that he will use against right-handed hitters. He does have a real good pickoff move to first base but he tends to use it to excess.
What is the "downward angle" Mark Prior talks about with his pitching?
Generally what that means, especially for a tall pitcher like Mark, is your ability to stay tall on the mound. From your release point to the catcher, it's just that - a downward angle. It gives the batter less look at the pitch and it makes it much tougher for him to pick up spin, especially late.
What do you think of Roberto Novoa so far?
The early indications are that he can be a very effective middle-to-late reliever. He's got a really good fastball, seems to have good composure on the mound and he's an intimidating presence out there on the mound.
How would Kerry Wood fare as a closer?
Current health issues aside, I don't have any doubts that he could be a closer at some point, but the fact is that he's been a starting pitcher his whole life. It would be something that would have to begin in the offseason and go through spring training. It would totally change the between-starts routine he goes through now. Closers need to be more resilient and pitch at maximum effectiveness for one inning at a time. It would involve a lot of different preparation on his part, not only physical, but mental as well. If that was the process they chose to go, I have no doubt that he could be successful.