Kevin Acee reviews the start Chris Paddack made for the Padres on Sunday. Acee was impressed that Paddack experimented with a curveball:
Paddack threw a curveball for a first-pitch strike to two hitters in the second inning, including Shin-Soo Choo. He mixed it in a couple times in peculiar counts as well, including for a ball on a 2-2 pitch essentially just to see what would happen.SanDiegoUnionTribune.com
The curve is the pitch Paddack studied on YouTube this offseason and is still developing.
Catcher Austin Hedges was also impressed with the start:
“He really understands when he needs to throw a pitch for a strike and when he needs to put a guy away,” Hedges said. “I tried to really challenge him with the curveball today – not having it be just a get-me-over 0-0 pitch and actually use it throughout, so in the middle of the count he doesn’t end up being a two-pitch guy. But he could very easily end up being (an effective) two-pitch guy.”
What Hedges envisions, though, is going behind the plate every game with the possibility he and Paddack can paint a masterpiece.
The Padres are going to need more than just Manny Machado to win the west, and a good, young pitcher will bring them one step closer.