Key for Francis is simple: location, location, location
Jack Etkin, Rocky Mountain News
Friday, April 27, 2007
Last season, Jeff Francis never lost more than two consecutive games. For that matter, he never lost more than two consecutive starts, something he did twice.
The first of those little dips occurred when he took the mound May 26 and May 31. The second was June 17 and June 23.
Francis will be trying to avoid losing his third straight start tonight when the Rockies play the Atlanta Braves. The Rockies make a three-game pit stop at Coors Field before embarking on a three-city, nine-game trip after Sunday's game.
The only times Francis lost three straight games, he did it in consecutive starts as a rookie in 2005 on June 8-19 and Aug. 31 to Sept. 12.
None of this history is dredged up to sound alarmist or to suggest Francis has done anything more than hit a speed bump.
His body of work, limited as it is, has been exemplary. In 2005 and 2006, Francis' two full seasons in the majors, he went 27-23 playing for Rockies teams that were a combined 38 games below .500.
"He's never completely satisfied," pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. "He's very tough to satisfy. He's always looking to improve. The games that I am very satisfied with, he wants the perfect game."
It's possible to pitch well and lose, which isn't the case with Francis lately.
He began the season by going 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in his first two games, both won by the Rockies.
But on April 16 against San Francisco, Francis allowed seven runs and nine hits in five innings of an 8-0 loss. And Saturday against San Diego, he yielded six runs and 13 hits, matching a career high established Aug. 11, 2005, in six innings in a 7-3 loss.
There is nothing mysterious about what happened in those games and what Francis needs to do to regain his form tonight. Essentially, his problem has been rooted in a pitching tenet, a foundational matter on the mound without which success is very difficult.
"The biggest thing is my fastball command has been off," Francis said. "Whatever side of the plate I've been going to, I've been missing over the plate. That's kind of a product of not getting on top of the ball, not having the release point that allows me to repeat my delivery."
It's not like Francis' control has deserted him. He issued two unintentional walks against the Giants and one against the Padres. Against the Giants, Francis did not record a strikeout.
Strikeouts aren't his stock in trade, but the fact they were completely missing, manager Clint Hurdle said, was a good indicator Francis was awry with his location.
His four strikeouts against the Padres were about his norm but were lost in the blizzard of San Diego hits - seven singles, five doubles and one home run.
"He got hurt with San Diego with his fastball location," Apodaca said. "I don't care how good your breaking pitches or your off-speed pitches are. Your fastball is going to make them better and is going to plant that seed in the hitter's mind about the fastball. And that's when his changeup is going to be the most effective."
During the second of two regular bullpen sessions between starts, Francis paid particular attention to fastball command on his glove side or the inside part of the plate to right-handed hitters.
Right-handed hitters are batting .366 against the left-handed Francis compared with .276 for left-handed hitters.
History suggests Francis will reverse this trend and find his normal pitching groove.
Right-handers batted .252 against him last year, 11 points higher than left-handers. And for his career, the averages against Francis are .284 by right-handers and .266 by left-handed hitters.
There is nothing mental or deep-seated about Francis' current woes. It's more a matter of execution.
It's not as if hitters have made some collective adjustment or done anything to create doubt in Francis.
"I don't think it's an issue of regressiveness or trying to miss bats or anything," Francis said. "It's me just not getting the ball there (to a more precise location). I think every pitcher battles with that all the time. Nobody can get the ball exactly where they need to all the time.
"It's constantly finding ways to adjust yourself to get it there. You miss pitches, you fall behind in the count. You're forced to come right to batters. Behind in the count, hitters are a lot more comfortable."
That's a simple pitching truth, one that has plagued Francis lately. If better fastball command is the obvious tonic Francis needs against the Braves, what explains the lack of it?
Apodaca cites anxiety, which tends to make people do things quicker or, in the case of pitchers, have command issues. In Francis' case, that means location up or down, inside or outside not being quite right.
"Everybody succumbs to it," Apodaca said. "Nobody's immune. It's just recognizing it and knowing what to do. How do you fix that thought? And he has the wits about him to do it. Right now he just hasn't been able to do it on those important pitches."
Few and far between
John Mabry's three-run home run Wednesday was the second the Rockies have hit this season with anyone on base. The Rockies are last in the majors with eight home runs.
Date Player Opponent Pitcher Men on Score Final
April 2 Baker Arizona Medders 0 6-5 Lost 8-6
April 4 Holliday Arizona Cruz 0 4-2 Won 11-4
April 6 Holliday at San Diego Maddux 1 4-1 Won 4-3
April 9 Atkins at Los Angeles Schmidt 0 1-0 Won 6-3
April 14 Atkins at Arizona Medders 0 4-3 Lost 5-4
April 15 Helton at Arizona Davis 0 4-4 Lost 6-4
April 17 Finley San Francisco Chulk 0 1-5 Won 5-3
April 25 Mabry at New York Pelfrey 2 6-0 Won 11-5
Post your comment
Registration is required. Click here to create your free user account, or login below.
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.