Dugout Scout: Breaking Down Beckett | DugoutCentral.com's Blog

Josh Beckett is probably injured. Other than his general ineffectiveness Sunday night, here???s what leads us to that conclusion: 1. Beckett has had one of the best curveballs in the Majors, yet he???s not throwing it now as he has in the past. His curve is now coming to the plate on a slant angles and is not nearly as consistent. 2. He???s now throwing a hard slider that resembles a cut-fastball with depth. Buck Martinez (the announcer) calls it a cutter, but cut fastballs don???t go down (depth). It???s now thrown at 90-92 mph. It can be an effective pitch, but he???s only using it off the pitch glove-side. He???s also throwing it in predictable sequences. So, Beckett has gone away from two pitches he threw successfully during the past few years: his 12-6 curveball and his slider. Why? One would have to assume it???s not the result of a defined change in his pitching plan. After all, you wouldn???t make alterations to a pitcher???s plan during the playoff ??? unless there was a reason for it. And that reason could very well be an injury. As far as his mechanics go, Beckett is not staying as tall at the top of his leg kick. His body is humped over more than normal. He???s always been a drop and drive type, but his upper body hasn???t slouched this much before. This could have an effect on his release point, preventing him from throwing his pitches from the same slot as he???s used to.

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