Control Matters for Boston's Dice-K, Clay Buchholz, and Manny Delcarmen

What do Red Sox pitchers Daisuke Matsuzaka, Clay Buchholz, and Manny Delcarmen have in common? They don't have much rhythm. I don't mean on the dance floor, but on the pitching mound. In the cases of starting pitchers, Dice-K and Buchholz, that means they have to pitch backwards, using their off speed pitches when they need to throw a strike. In the case of reliever Delcarmen, it means he walks too many people. Red Sox fans will remember a game Buchholz pitched in Tampa Bay early in the year. He had a 1-0 lead into the eighth inning, but gave up a hit to the Rays' catcher Dioner Navarro. Then, with Akinori Iwamura at the plate, Buchholz did what he always does when the heat's on, which is throw his changeup. And Iwamura was waiting for it, knew it was coming, and hit it a long way over the fence. That was the beginning of the end for Buchholz, as teams realized that he couldn't throw his fastball for a strike. And, he won't until he learns to have some rhythm in his delivery. If he's ... (link)