Old Corbin vs. the Pirates:
Patrick Corbin took the mound Sunday afternoon at PNC Park and was 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA (5 runs allowed in 22 innings), 2.82 FIP, 8 walks (3.27 walks per nine innings), 24 strikeouts (9.81 strikeouts per nine innings) and a .244 ERA/.319 on-base/.342 slugging percentage over his last four starts. It was one of the best performances in recent years for the 35-year-old left-hander, who is playing the final season of a six-year, $140 million contract with the Washington Nationals.
“His slider is a lot better,” manager Davey Martinez said when asked what he thought was different from Corbin’s final few starts after his five-win campaign. 2⁄3 One inning against the Marlins in Miami.
“But keeping the ball low. As far as keeping everything low, I give it all to him.”
“He hits hard the minute he pitches the ball.”
Corbyn told reporters: Quote from MASN’s Bobby BlancoThe key was the combination of location and the right pitch.
“I think it’s important to avoid the middle of the plate, mix it up a lot with your cutter and vary the speed with your slider. [catcher] Caibert [Ruiz] “I’m up there,” the veteran southpaw said.
“Our offense scored a lot of points and our defense played well, so the team has been playing well behind me.”
“But I just need to stay out of the middle of the plate and be able to strike out when I need to. So I’ll just keep doing what’s been working so far and go from there.”
Corbin started the game against the Pirates on Sunday and struggled from the start, giving up four runs on 27 pitches, allowing a leadoff single, a wild pitch, a two-run home run, a two-out single and consecutive doubles.
Corbin allowed three more runs, one each in the third inning (a home run), the fourth inning (a grounder that scored a run) and the sixth inning (a solo home run), with the Pirates leading 7-2 at the time.
Short-handed after Saturday’s doubleheader, Martinez used his starter until the top of the sixth inning, at which point Corbin had thrown 102 pitches, allowing 10 hits, three home runs and seven earned runs. Corbin had 15 whiffs and 15 strikeouts in the game.
“The two-seam wasn’t there today. He was trying to throw more of a cutter,” Martinez explained, noting that 39 percent of his pitches on Sunday were cutters.Up from 18% for Miami cutters.).
“Some were good, some were not so good. He just wasn’t as effective against the cutter as he normally is and he was sending a lot of balls over the plate.”
“They were on a roll,” Corbin said of the Pirates’ first hit. “And the first home run, the cutter, it was right in the middle of the plate. I didn’t want it to be there, so it was over there. The next couple hits were the same, I just didn’t get the slider down like I had been. I hit them all too close to the middle of the plate. I thought I put it together well, but it was just a little bit off.”
“I think I was able to hit a couple of balls,” the pitcher added. “They allowed an error and then they hit a big home run, so maybe I wasn’t consistent today. My at-bats were short, they hit the ball and got a hit, and maybe I was up the middle a lot today.”
He at least gave the club some much needed length.
“We needed that,” Martinez said.
“I always say, forget all about his stats. He’s there to pitch every five days and get the yardage.”
“He’s absolutely amazing. [enough] What he’s been for us the last couple years, how he’s helped us out, especially with our young pitchers, and how he’s been able to get the ball early in the game when other pitchers get out and give us what we need. That’s what’s saved our bullpen. He’s been great.”
