MASNsports.com is your online home for the latest Orioles and Nationals news, features, and commentary. And now, you can connect with MASN on every digital level. From web and social media to our new mobile alert service, MASN has got all the bases covered.
Get the latest breaking news direct to your phone with our mobile texting service.
I wanted to pass this along this morning - former MASNSports.com blogger Kristen Hudak dug it up, and there's some great stuff in here.
It's a video of MLB Network's Ron Gant and Al Leiter talking about a sequence in the first inning of last night's Nationals-Diamondbacks game, where Livan Hernandez and Wilson Ramos spent an inordinate amount of time trying to decide on a 2-2 pitch with Justin Upton at the plate. With runners at first and second, the pitcher and catcher were trying to disguise their signs from leadoff hitter Ryan Roberts, who was at second base.
But as Leiter points out, Ramos gave away the pitch by setting up early; when he moved inside, it gave Roberts a clue that Hernandez was going to throw a fastball, since pitchers will rarely throw breaking balls inside. Sure enough, Upton took a 2-2 fastball inside. He eventually struck out on a changeup, and the inning ended when Miguel Montero grounded into a double play.
The nuance, though, is something Ramos needs to learn, and the video explaining it is definitely worth a few minutes of your time.
