Trust the speaker. Nathan Eovaldi knows the subject well.
And if deGrom bounces back like Eovaldi has, well, look out.
But relying on a four-seamer and a splitter can allow hitters to eliminate one, focus on the other, and, at the very least, improve their chances. Now, they are guessing at one of three or four others, all at different speeds. The curveball, which is his slowest pitch, also adds another layer of speed differential. He essentially throws pitches at 75, 85, 90 and 95 mph. It’s tough for anybody to really hone in on velocity.
“Every game he kind of has a different pitch mix going,” said Kyle Higashioka, who has caught his last seven outings in which Eovaldi is 5-2 with a 2.15 ERA. “No matter what he has working for him, he has something he can make work. That’s why he is so good.
“I think he’s just got a more balanced mix of pitches working for him. I think he was kind of struggling with trying to find more than just a splitter and maybe he just got a little predictable for some teams. These last several outings he’s had a lot more weapons to work with, so that just allows him to mix and match that much more. He has an answer for every situation.”
Eovaldi made his first two starts of the season with Danny Jansen behind the plate, but it’s clear he and Higashioka work extremely well together. They combined for a 1.65 ERA in 11 starts last year.
“I think we have a great relationship,” Eovaldi said. “Both the catchers are very prepared when you go into these games and especially the third game of the series. They have my pitches and it’s very different from Jack [Leiter] and deGrom. I like to go over the hitters and how I’m going to attack them and then I don’t really change too much.”