Wednesday, 12:35 PM – Ben Sheets

Sheets underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2010 and did not pitch again until attempting a comeback in July of this year. He made eight starts with the Braves before going on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation in late August. Today will be the final start of his career, as he plans to retire after the season. Sheets used to regularly throw in the mid 90′s, but his four-seam fastball now sits around 89-91 MPH. He also throws a two-seamer that comes in just a tick slower. His primary secondary pitch is a 77-79 MPH curveball, and he also throws a 80-81 MPH changeup. He also appears to mix in a mid 80′s cutter or slider.

Tuesday, 7:05 PM – Tommy Hanson

Hanson has an over-the-top delivery, and his arm sort of pauses as he reaches back prior to release. It almost appears as if he is aiming the baseball. He makes heavy use of his 88-91 MPH fastball and 78-82 MPH slider, going to one of the two pitches on more than 80% of his offerings. He mostly works on the outer half of the plate with the two pitches, frequently using backdoor sliders on the outside corner against left-handed batters. He also throws a big-breaking 12 to 6 curve in the 70-73 MPH range. Hanson’s big swing-and-miss pitch is the curveball, with a whiff rate around 40% in 2012. His velocity has been trending downward the past few years. In 2010, his fastball regularly got up over 95 MPH. Last year, he was mostly 89-93 MPH. This year, he has been in the 88-91 MPH range and is struggling to miss bats with the heater. Regardless, he is still striking out a very solid 21.2% of opposing hitters.

Monday, 7:05 PM – Paul Maholm

Maholm’s bread and butter pitch is his 86-88 MPH sinker, which he goes to on nearly a third of his offerings. The pitch has plenty of horizontal tail to go along with the sinking movement. His four-seam fastball comes in a tick harder at 87-89 MPH, but the heater has not cracked 90 MPH since early in the season. Maholm has a deep repertoire, and he mixes his pitches well. He throws a 69-75 MPH curveball, a 78-81 MPH slider, a 79-83 MPH changeup and appears to have added an 82-86 MPH cutter over the past couple seasons. His slider has generally been a solid swing-and-miss pitch, while none of his other offerings miss many bats. However, the majority of his pitches generate well above average ground ball rates, allowing him to effectively limit damage on batted balls.

Friday, 7:05 PM – Homer Bailey

Bailey’s fastball sits around 91-94 MPH and can get up to the 95-96 range on occasion. He throws a cutter or hard slider that sits 85-90 MPH, a pitch (or pitches) he has gone to a bit more frequently the past two years. He also throws a 76-80 MPH curve and an 84-88 MPH splitter. The slider/cutter has been more effective with increased usage, missing a few more bats in recent years. His curve and splitter have also generated solid whiff rates the past two seasons. In the past, Bailey leaned heavily on his fastball, throwing it more than 70% of the time. However, starting with 2011, he began mixing in his secondary offerings more frequently.

Thursday, 1:10 PM – R.A. Dickey

The knuckleball obviously makes Dickey a unique pitcher. He throws at least two different versions of the pitch, a fast knuckler and a slow knuckler. The velocity of the slower version generally sits in the 60-68 MPH range, while the faster pitch ranges from about 72 to 82 MPH. It is possible he is actually throwing three different knucklers, but that is difficult to say for sure. As you can see from the chart above, the knuckleball breaks almost completely randomly. Despite the unpredictable movement, Dickey has managed to post very good walk rates. His fastball velocity is higher than that of a typical knuckleball pitcher, as the two-seamer sits around 81-85 MPH. Dickey is going for his 20th win of the season today.

Wednesday, 7:10 PM – Jermey Hefner

Hefner’s four-seam fastball sits around 90-92 MPH and is fairly straight. He also throws a sinker that is generally in the 89-91 MPH range and an 86-90 MPH cutter that somewhat resembles a slider. His only breaking ball is a slow curve in the 73-78 MPH range, while his primary offspeed pitch is an 83-86 MPH changeup with some occasionally solid sinking movement. He has shown a willingness to throw the change against righties early in his big league career. Pitching in his rookie season, Hefner has shown the ability to miss bats with the four-seamer, but his curve and changeup have both been pretty hittable.

Tuesday, 7:10 PM – Collin McHugh

McHugh was an under-the-radar prospect coming into the season, but he pitched well in Double-A and Triple-A and has continued that success early in his big league career. He throws from a low three-quarters, almost sidearm release point. He mostly sits 89-91 MPH and mixes in a sinking two-seamer with similar velocity. McHugh throws his slider around 80-84 MPH, while his 69-72 MPH curveball flashes a good amount of break. He also throws an 81-83 MPH changeup. Despite the mediocre velocity, McHugh has shown the ability to miss bats with four different pitches so far in the big leagues.

Monday, 7:10 PM – Jenrry Mejia

Mejia is making his second major league start of the season, after spending most of the year in Triple-A working back from his 2011 Tommy John surgery. The 22-year-old has a great arm, with a cutting fastball that sat 93-97 MPH and touched 98 MPH before the injury. In his limited time back in the big leagues, it seems that his velocity has completely returned. Mejia also throws a hard 85-90 MPH changeup and a 78-82 MPH curveball. He spent a good portion of the 2010 season pitching out of the Mets’ bullpen as a 20-year-old, and has mostly alternated between starting and relieving over the past two years. Despite the great raw stuff, he has not missed many bats in the majors, posting a well below average strikeout rate in his 45 career innings. Mejia often struggles with command, possibly due to an inconsistent release point.

Sunday, 2:05 PM – Jordan Lyles

The 21-year-old Lyles throws his four-seam fastball around 90-94 MPH and touches 95. His sinker comes in at a similar speed with good downward movement. He has gone to the sinker more frequently this year, but it has become more hittable in the process. He is missing fewer bats with the pitch, although he is also getting some more ground balls with it. Lyles’ 81-84 MPH changeup shows decent arm-side movement, but has not been very effective this season. He has cut down on his usage of the change, opting for the sinker more frequently against lefties. He also throws a sharp 78-82 MPH curveball with good downward break. The curve is another pitch that is easy to put in play, but it is extremely difficult to get in the air. His 85-88 MPH cutter somewhat resembles a slider and has been his best swing-and-miss pitch in 2012.

Saturday, 7:05 PM – Dallas Keuchel

Keuchel is a left-handed pitcher who relies on command and deception to compensate for his unimpressive raw stuff. He throws an 87-89 MPH fastball and a sinker with decent arm-side movement. His best secondary offering is a 73-76 MPH changeup that he appears to command pretty well against righties. He also throws a slow 68-74 MPH curveball and an 82-86 MPH cutter. The changeup is the only secondary pitch Keuchel has been able to miss bats with so far in the big leagues, as his other offerings have been extremely hittable. He has allowed a ton of contact but has mostly kept the ball on the ground since his promotion to Houston. He has also struggled with walks, which is something he never had much of an issue with in the minors.