Hooray for Hollenbeck
J.J.Hollenbeck never openly campaigned to be a starting pitcher, but after talking to him one gets the impression that the right-hander preferred being in the Wild Things' rotation. Last year, Hollenbeck was a setup reliever. This year, he began the season as part of a deep bullpen and without a defined role. Was he a setup guy? A long reliever? Top-of-the-ninth pitcher when trailing?
When a series of injuries rendered the Wild Things' starting rotation a mess in June, Hollenbeck became a starter. At the time, it seemed like a desperate move. It turned out to be one of the best moves the coaching staff made all year.
Hollenbeck has responded with seven quality starts – tied for second on the team - and has allowed more than three earned runs in only one of his last 10 starts. His best game might have been Thursday night when Hollenbeck took a four-hit shutout into the ninth inning, only to give up two solo home runs in a three-pitch span and suffer a 2-0 loss. Hollenbeck struck out seven and did not walk a batter.
In two games against West Division champion Gateway – which has the top offensive team in the Frontier League – Hollenbeck has pitched 14-plus innings and allowed 10 hits without walking a batter. He's struck out 15 Grizzlies.
"He throws three pitches and he throws strikes with each one. When you face him, you don't get free passes," said Gateway manager Phil Warren. "That's the key in this league."
Added Washington manager John Massarelli, "J.J. is pitching with a lot of confidence, which is half the battle."
Having pitched better than his 6-4 record indicates, and considering what he did to bring some stability to the starting rotation, Hollenbeck might be the most valuable Wild Things player this side of Aaron Ledbetter.
When a series of injuries rendered the Wild Things' starting rotation a mess in June, Hollenbeck became a starter. At the time, it seemed like a desperate move. It turned out to be one of the best moves the coaching staff made all year.
Hollenbeck has responded with seven quality starts – tied for second on the team - and has allowed more than three earned runs in only one of his last 10 starts. His best game might have been Thursday night when Hollenbeck took a four-hit shutout into the ninth inning, only to give up two solo home runs in a three-pitch span and suffer a 2-0 loss. Hollenbeck struck out seven and did not walk a batter.
In two games against West Division champion Gateway – which has the top offensive team in the Frontier League – Hollenbeck has pitched 14-plus innings and allowed 10 hits without walking a batter. He's struck out 15 Grizzlies.
"He throws three pitches and he throws strikes with each one. When you face him, you don't get free passes," said Gateway manager Phil Warren. "That's the key in this league."
Added Washington manager John Massarelli, "J.J. is pitching with a lot of confidence, which is half the battle."
Having pitched better than his 6-4 record indicates, and considering what he did to bring some stability to the starting rotation, Hollenbeck might be the most valuable Wild Things player this side of Aaron Ledbetter.
posted by Chris Dugan at
2:47 PM
1 Comments:
Hooray, indeed!
J.J. Hollenbeck is the team's second-best starting pitcher, and has been for quite some time.
Why is he NOT in the #2 spot in the rotation?
Now, with the division title in hand, set the rotation to give the Wild Things the best opportunity to win a playoff series.
1st Round:
Ledbetter, Hollenbeck, Cochran (if you must), Stidfole, Ledbetter.
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