The infield sod at Peoples Natural Gas Field has been getting beat up each time Altoona Curve starter Alex McRae takes the rubber at home. Usually a roughed up infield would be less than ideal, but for a ground ball pitcher like McRae, it’s a match made in heaven.
The second-year Altoona Curve starter has been taking advantage of a solid defensive lineup behind him as opposing hitters have been succeeding in beating up the infield against McRae. Using an effective two-seam fastball has been imperative to McRae’s success in getting ground balls according to manager Michael Ryan.
“Trusting his two-seamer, getting the ball on the ground,” Ryan said. “He’s a ground ball pitcher, the key for him is when he gets ahead.”
McRae, who notched a team-leading ninth victory Tuesday night, has been dialed in of late for the Curve as they enter August primed to make a run at the Eastern League playoffs. The right-handed starter finished the evening with a 3.50 ERA.
Locating a steady mix of pitches
McRae has been giving opposing hitters throughout the Eastern League a steady diet of mixing pitches while he’s on the rubber. The 2017 season was the first time McRae has thrown four different pitches in games.
“I added a couple pitches this year so this is really the first year I’ve had four pitches I could throw,” McRae said. “I’m still learning, but it’s helping a lot having a couple different weapons to keep hitters off balance.”
“He’s got a cutter so now he can front door it, he can back door it, or elevate it when he wants,” Ryan said. “He just uses all of his pitches and keeps opposing hitters guessing.”
Location is always key when dealing with pitchers, especially those who live and die by the ground ball like McRae. When you had pitches to the mix, it isn’t always easy to locate where you want them to go, but being able to locate those pitches successfully has proved instrumental for McRae and his performance thus far.
“Living down with the fast ball and not leaving too many pitches up and making mistakes,” McRae said. “Being able to locate everything for the most part and I added a curve ball that’s a little slower just to keep hitters off balance.”
Overcoming early game miscues
With inducing a lot of ground balls, McRae runs the risk of more opportunities for his team to make mistakes behind him. Tuesday night, Altoona struggled to get outs in the first inning as McRae made a fielding error of his own en route to a two-run first inning.
“He didn’t get off to a good start, just dropped the ball and it wasn’t anything to do with his pitching,” Ryan said of the first inning issues that plagued the Curve Tuesday. “He still made quality pitches and got the ball on the ground, we just didn’t make the plays.”
With the defense struggling behind the pitcher, it’s tough for guys like McRae to not let the mistakes add up and take their toll. For McRae though, knowing he’s prone to getting ground balls gives him an extra boost for the next hitter.
“You try not to let it affect you, me being a ground ball pitcher, I’ve always thought I’m one pitch away from a double play so if somebody’s on base I’ve got a good chance of getting a ground ball and getting two outs just like that,” McRae said.
While the top half of the first inning was less than ideal for the Curve, the Altoona offense put up two runs early to get the game back to even before eventually taking the lead for good in the sixth inning. Having a run-scoring first inning proved to be huge for not only the offense, but also McRae.
“It’s a huge momentum boost for me knowing they have my back and they’re working just as hard as I am for the win,” McRae said. “Once they do that, it just gives you a whole new level of confidence.”
Room for improvement
While a 9-4 record in Double-A is nothing to scoff at, there is still room for improvement for the 24 year-old pitcher according to both McRae himself and his manager.
“Getting his breaking ball over for a strike and knowing the difference between when to throw that for a strike and when to throw it down for a chase,” Ryan said. “He just needs to work on his secondary pitches to become a more complete pitcher.”
Having command of both the strike zone and his pitches within the strike zone bodes well for both the Curve and McRae down the stretch but there’s still improvements to be made in that aspect of his game.
“It’s just being able to throw every pitch for a strike for the most part, tonight was a little different but I found ways to get outs,” McRae said. “Just being able to locate off-speed for strikes and not let hitters sit on one pitch, the sinker, it just gives them one more thing to think about.”
As the playoff chase gets tighter, look for McRae to continue his brilliance as long as he’s able to locate and continue to have hitters beat up the infield for the Altoona Curve at PNG Field.
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