Author Topic: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?  (Read 30568 times)

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Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #375: June 28, 2012, 08:34:24 AM »
If Coors' dry air is what makes the ball fly, then why is it that Nats Park gets more "lively" when it gets humid?

Or is it the thin air at Coors, and not the dry air?

Or is it that pitchers' breaking balls just don't break as much, and end up center-cut? After all, the Rockies scored lots of runs, too.

Doesn't the humidor essentially offset the distance advantage of the thin air?

Humidor of course does not reduce the size of the outfield acreage, nor enhance breaking balls, so there are still good reasons why runs scored should be higher than typical but home runs shouldn't be extremely high, right?

Here's a Denver Post article on 2012 run scoring at Coors and the humidor, basically attributing the result to bad pitching by the Rockies' staff.

http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_20843984/sports



Offline tomterp

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #376: June 28, 2012, 08:38:59 AM »
The Rockies are rolling out some historically bad pitchers this season. We'll see if the offensive fireworks continue once we're not facing BP fastballs in Atlanta and next week against the Giants.

Exactly.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #377: June 28, 2012, 08:44:07 AM »
Who's going to be the number 1 pick next year because the Rockies seem desperate

Offline Kevrock

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #378: June 28, 2012, 08:49:23 AM »
If Coors' dry air is what makes the ball fly, then why is it that Nats Park gets more "lively" when it gets humid?

Or is it the thin air at Coors, and not the dry air?

Or is it that pitchers' breaking balls just don't break as much, and end up center-cut? After all, the Rockies scored lots of runs, too.



http://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/education/ask/index.html?quid=428

Quote
Quite simply the reason a baseball flies farther at Coors Field is because there are fewer things getting in the ball's way.
Imagine you are in a room packed full of people. If you try to go across the room you'll bump into people and that will slow you down. Now image the same room with a lot fewer people. If you try to go across the room now, it will be a lot easier because there are fewer people to bump into.

The same thing happens to a baseball as it's flying through the air. The baseball collides with air molecules. This causes friction, or "drag", which slows the baseball down. The fewer air molecules there are, the less drag there is, which means the ball goes faster and further.

Denver, Colo., where Coors Field is located, is known as the mile-high city because it is at an altitude of 1 mile (or 5,280ft) above sea level. This high elevation means that the air at Coors field is a lot thinner than the air at sea level. It's even a lot thinner than the air at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, Arizona, the second highest major league ballpark at an elevation of 1100 feet. There are a lot fewer air molecules in a cubic meter of air at Coors Field than at any other Major League stadium, especially one at sea level. Because there is so much less air in the way, a ball hit at Coors Field will go about 10% farther than a ball hit with the same force at sea level. This means a 400-foot hit into deep center at sea level would be a 440-foot homerun at Coors Field.

Another reason you might be seeing a lot of home runs at Coors Field is that the thin air affects the ball before it's even been hit. Curve balls won't curve as much, knuckle balls won't waver as much, and sliders won't drop as much. So the thin air can make it easier for the batter to hit some pitches. But don't feel too bad for the pitchers, the thin air will also make their fastballs go faster!

Offline tomterp

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #379: June 28, 2012, 08:57:42 AM »
If Coors' dry air is what makes the ball fly, then why is it that Nats Park gets more "lively" when it gets humid?

Or is it the thin air at Coors, and not the dry air?

Or is it that pitchers' breaking balls just don't break as much, and end up center-cut? After all, the Rockies scored lots of runs, too.

Assuming no breeze, here are the major factors affecting the distance of a struck ball, in order of importance:

1)  Altitude - higher altitude means thinner air, and significantly so.
2)  Temperature - higher temp means thinner air, as it expands as gasses and fluids do when heated.
3)  Humidity - higher humidity also means thinner air, drier air is more dense and thus balls tend to fly further in the summer. 

Note that Coors has 1-2 working for it, which way overwhelm the relatively meager negative impact that drier air has.

As for effect on pitches, the thinner air means less break on sliders/curves/2-seamers which obviously works significantly in the hitters' favor, more than offsetting the slight pitcher advantage of greater pitch speed as drag on pitchers is reduced and the ball crosses the zone having lost less velocity due to drag than normal.

Offline nobleisthyname

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #380: June 28, 2012, 09:03:15 AM »
I really, really hope that this does not come back to bite us in the long term

Of course, and my post was obviously a bit facetious. But there's nothing we can do to alter their current gameplan so we might as well enjoy the current paybacks and hope for the best in the future.

Offline blue911

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #381: June 28, 2012, 10:41:33 AM »
http://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/education/ask/index.html?quid=428


I saw an interview with Jeremy Guthrie where he stated that his 2-seemer didn't react the same way at Coors as it does elsewhere. The old "trust your stuff" mantra doesn't work when you have know idea if/when or how much movement you get on even the most basic of pitches.

Offline MarquisDeSade

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #382: June 28, 2012, 10:44:29 AM »
I saw an interview with Jeremy Guthrie where he stated that his 2-seemer didn't react the same way at Coors as it does elsewhere. The old "trust your stuff" mantra doesn't work when you have know idea if/when or how much movement you get on even the most basic of pitches.

Has RA Dickey pitched there this season?

Offline Lintyfresh85

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #383: June 28, 2012, 10:45:45 AM »
Has RA Dickey pitched there this season?

Nomo's no-hitter looks even more amazing when you factor in the conditions at Coors.

Offline OldChelsea

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #384: June 28, 2012, 10:53:28 AM »
The Rockies are rolling out some historically bad pitchers this season. We'll see if the offensive fireworks continue once we're not facing BP fastballs in Atlanta and next week against the Giants.

Even the Braves' pitching isn't quite up to the standards of its Glavine/Maddux heyday...they've already lost Beachy and now Hudson is believed headed for Tommy John (per Fox radio this morning), and Jair Jurrjens (who wasn't exactly setting the world on fire at Gwinnett, and with whom the Nationals have had little recent difficulty) has been recalled. I wouldn't be surprised if they swung a deal before the deadline for a frontline starter (they've certainly got the bucks to do so).

Per ESPN, the pitching matchups for the Atlanta series are:

Friday - Delgado vs Detwiler
Saturday - Minor vs Strasburg
Sunday - Hudson [for now] vs Gonzalez

Offline blue911

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #385: June 28, 2012, 10:56:30 AM »
Has RA Dickey pitched there this season?

Not this year,not any year.

Offline KnorrForYourMoney

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #386: June 28, 2012, 11:14:26 AM »
Assuming no breeze, here are the major factors affecting the distance of a struck ball, in order of importance:

1)  Altitude - higher altitude means thinner air, and significantly so.
2)  Temperature - higher temp means thinner air, as it expands as gasses and fluids do when heated.
3)  Humidity - higher humidity also means thinner air, drier air is more dense and thus balls tend to fly further in the summer. 

Note that Coors has 1-2 working for it, which way overwhelm the relatively meager negative impact that drier air has.

As for effect on pitches, the thinner air means less break on sliders/curves/2-seamers which obviously works significantly in the hitters' favor, more than offsetting the slight pitcher advantage of greater pitch speed as drag on pitchers is reduced and the ball crosses the zone having lost less velocity due to drag than normal.

I don't exactly follow you on the third part. Are you implying that thin air, being more dense, in effect "sinks" thus creating a thinner atmosphere around the low-lying stadium?

Offline DPMOmaha

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #387: June 28, 2012, 12:20:50 PM »
now Hudson is believed headed for Tommy John (per Fox radio this morning)

Are you sure this wasn't Daniel Hudson of the DBacks?  Cuz he just got the UCL tear diagnosis. 

Offline OldChelsea

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #388: June 28, 2012, 12:29:11 PM »
Are you sure this wasn't Daniel Hudson of the DBacks?  Cuz he just got the UCL tear diagnosis. 

Re-checked and you're right, it is Arizona's Hudson (although we did beat the Braves' Hudson back on 25th May)...serves me right for going with something I heard shortly after waking up at 05.15 this morning.

Offline DPMOmaha

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #389: June 28, 2012, 05:38:11 PM »
Re-checked and you're right, it is Arizona's Hudson (although we did beat the Braves' Hudson back on 25th May)...serves me right for going with something I heard shortly after waking up at 05.15 this morning.

I got half excited and half concerned.  I've got a couple of buddies who would have needed to go on suicide watch if it were Tim Hudson.

Offline Baseball is Life

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #390: June 28, 2012, 08:36:25 PM »
I got half excited and half concerned.  I've got a couple of buddies who would have needed to go on suicide watch if it were Tim Hudson.

I believe Tim Hudson has already had TJ, FWIW.

Offline DPMOmaha

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #391: June 28, 2012, 08:38:13 PM »
I believe Tim Hudson has already had TJ, FWIW.

I think you're right, but there have been guys that needed it more than once.

Offline Kevrock

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #392: June 28, 2012, 08:51:47 PM »
Nothing.

Offline DPMOmaha

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #393: June 28, 2012, 08:53:27 PM »
Nothing.

If you need a cortizone shot to deal with an issue, something's wrong.  We've just found a way for him to reasonably manage it for the time being, hopefully through the season and hopefully without any long term repercussions.

Offline mitlen

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #394: June 28, 2012, 09:07:45 PM »
We'll find out in Atlanta.

Offline DPMOmaha

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #395: June 28, 2012, 09:14:54 PM »
We'll find out in Atlanta.

I think we'll find out after the ASB.  Him catching up to a fastball really doesn't have much impact on what park he's playing in.  The test will be a couple of weeks after the shot and how long it works for him and how often he'll have to take them.  If he only needs one or two the rest of the way, I think that would be a pretty good thing.

Offline tomterp

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #396: June 30, 2012, 04:04:46 PM »
I don't exactly follow you on the third part. Are you implying that thin air, being more dense, in effect "sinks" thus creating a thinner atmosphere around the low-lying stadium?

By "third part" are you referring to 3) Humidity etc.?

Offline wpa2629

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #397: July 01, 2012, 05:02:15 PM »
Holy hell

Cortisone for everyone!

That home run was an absolute bomb

Offline Sharp

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #398: July 01, 2012, 05:14:53 PM »
Considering continued injections of cortisone weaken the affected area, I sure hope they figure out what's really wrong soon.

Online Slateman

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Re: What's wrong with Ryan Zimmerman?
« Reply #399: July 01, 2012, 05:16:29 PM »
Considering continued injections of cortisone weaken the affected area, I sure hope they figure out what's really wrong soon.

It's sprained.