Collin Balester said mechanical issues were at the heart of his struggles tonight, when he gave up four runs in three innings, including two home runs, against the Astros.
Basically, Balester uses the “drop and drive” style of pitching—a technique primarily used by pitchers like Robin Roberts and Tom Seaver and is still seen occasionally in modern pitchers like Tim Lincecum and Roy Oswalt. With the technique, pitchers drop down and push off the rubber, rather than falling forward toward the plate and using their lower body momentum to generate force. Balester said he’ll occasionally fall into the habit of leading with his elbow, which causes his fastball to stay up in the strike zone like it did tonight.
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“When I’m going good, the ball goes down. Lately, it’s been going up,” Balester said. “No excuses. I’ve just got to work on getting the ball down. That’s all there is to it.”
