Daniel Cabrera preview

Tonight's game has been moved up to 6 pm and the Sox face Orioles fireballer Daniel Cabrera.

Cabrera sports one of the top ten fastest heaters in the game and has had considerably more success this season as he has learned to trust his stuff and throw strikes.

Although he was a top strikeout pitcher last season, Cabrera ran into repeated problems with his control and ended up with a 5.55 ERA.

This season, Cabrera has simplified things and now lets his gas and plus slider get hitters out with balls near the strike zone.

As a result he has dropped over a run and a half off his ERA to 3.89.

Cabrera is primarily a fastball/slider pitcher and, as hit pitch selection chart shows, he relies on the fastball except when he is ahead in the count:

Pitch Type by Count:
      Fastball Slider
Count Total Percent Total Percent
0-0   252   91.97   22    8.03
0-1   102   87.93   14    12.07
0-2   37    90.24   4     9.76
1-0   105   88.98   13    11.02
1-1   88    86.27   14    13.73
1-2   65    84.42   12    15.58
2-0   39    90.7    4     9.3
2-1   51    85      9     15
2-2   58    71.6    23    28.4
3-0   11    100     0     0
3-1   21    100     0     0
3-2   46    86.79   7     13.21

His fastball averages between 94 and 95 mph and has pretty good life on it, with above average break in on a right-handed batter.

Cabrera throws the slider at 83, and while it isn't as impressive as his fastball, it has enough break and separation from the fastball to work quite nicely for him.

Look for Cabrera to throw fastballs early and often tonight. Here's a look atn his location chart: