Leo Nuñez 2011: Giving Fans a Mini Heart Attack One Save at a Time

[Miamarlin21]

Pretty interesting article on our beloved closer:

http://www.marlinsdiehards.com/2011/...alfonseca.html

[emkayseven]

what the hell is that website

[Miamarlin21]

Just a site I found. I don't know how reputable the site is but I at least found those stats were interesting.

[Erick]

No offense but that's just a horrible comparison.

The year Alfonseca recorded 45 saves, he allowed 10.5 H/9, 3.1 BB/9, and only had 6 K/9. He had a 1.51 WHIP and a 4.16 FIP that year.

[Mainge]

what the hell is that website

I don't know but they have a list of marlins fansites and it wouldn't hurt to send an email and get us on it.

[Party]

sun-sentinel.com/sports/florida-marlins/fl-marlins-phillies-0829-20110828,0,310303.story

South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

Marlins' Nunez looking to work abandoned slider back into repertoire

Closer Leo Nunez lost confidence in his slider, but he said having that third pitch was helpful early on.

By Juan C. Rodriguez, Sun Sentinel

7:30 PM EDT, August 28, 2011

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NEW YORK — One reason Leo Nunez has been less effective: He's a two-pitch pitcher again.

Nunez can survive with a fastball-changeup combination. His fastball touches 97 and his changeup is a plus pitch as well. Earlier this season, he added a wrinkle. He picked up a slider, but he's all but abandoned it. In the wake of his recent struggles, Nunez says he hopes to re-integrate it.

"At the start of the year, it was coming out good," Nunez said. "Later, it was just there, but I'll get it. … It was helping me."

Manager Jack McKeon at least temporarily has removed the burden of closing off Nunez's shoulders. He's blown two of his last three opportunities and allowed nine runs on eight hits over his last 2 2/3 innings. His ERA has skyrocketed from 3.35 to 4.63.

Marlins TV analyst Tommy Hutton was openly critical of Nunez's pitch selection his last time out. In to preserve a two-run lead in the ninth on Tuesday, Nunez gave up four runs and the Marlins lost to the Reds 8-6. Among the points Hutton raised was what happened to Nunez's slider?

Nunez admits to having lost confidence in the pitch and leaving it in his back pocket. Catcher John Buck said that earlier in the season the pitch served to stretch the plate. Then it started backing up, giving the slider the same action as Nunez's changeup.

"The changeup sinks back towards them with good depth," Buck said. "If all they're looking at is for hard or something to sink back toward them, they can stay with that fast bat path. With a slider, you have to stay a little longer and it fades away from you.

"He got hurt by [the slider] once or twice. It's a confidence thing. Anybody that has a new pitch goes through those ups and downs. I think it's a good thing he's seeing he's not quite as effective with those two pitches, and [the slider] is why he was effective earlier. I think it's good he's recognized it so quick."

For Nunez, blending in a third pitch, particularly one that's not yet as reliable as his other two, is a tough assignment. He can work on it on flat ground. He can throw it in the bullpen, but generally when pitchers get beat they want to make sure it's off their best stuff.

As the closer, rarely does Nunez come in when the game is not on the line. Nunez has been loath to throw the slider, and probably rightly so, in critical situations.

"If you don't have confidence in your pitch, I think it's the wrong pitch," Buck said. "That's why it's not as easy as people may think. 'Well, just throw the slider some more.' They don't understand if you're not confident with your location, the way the pitch moves, there's a reason he's not throwing it. It's backed up a few times and he doesn't want to get beat with his third pitch.

"Not that he was resisting me. I just think he felt confident in his other pitches. … [The slider] was getting up there to where he was confident in it and was blending in with those two pitches, then he got hurt with it."

jcrodriguez@tribune.com or @JCRMarlinsbeat on Twitter.

Copyright © 2011, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

[Erick]

Yeah because that's his problem.