You don’t expect eight strikeouts from Nationals starting pitcher John Lannan, especially after three consecutive four-walk games that he deemed “unacceptable.”
But in his start against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, Lannan took to heart a lesson pitching coach Steve McCatty imparted during a May series in Milwaukee: He is a sinker, change-up pitcher and needs to embrace that at all times. Getting hit in the face by a line drive July 8 against the Colorado Rockies may have temporarily knocked him off his game. Lannan exited that contest with blood pouring from his nose. Against the Braves, though, he got back to basics. That season-high strikeout total was just a happy accident.
But being around the plate also meant a few more base hits allowed. And without overpowering stuff, Lannan’s change-up is a key pitch if he is going to live around the strike zone — especially against left-handed heavy lineups. There are a few in the National League.
“I think the biggest thing when I learned to throw change-ups to [left-handed batters] was pitching against the Phillies, especially [Chase] Utley and [Ryan] Howard,” Lannan said. “To get them off the outside pitch I needed something else inside. If you look at the numbers, most lefties struggle against change-ups. They don’t see it much. I just got to have the confidence to throw it.”
Easier said than done, of course. Lannan explained that a left-handed batter’s swing naturally covers anything down in the strike zone and in on the plate. Most left-handed pitchers intuitively abandon that pitch against them. If Lannan wants to remain a solid mid-rotation starter, he can’t afford to do that.
