DENVER -- Not to be lost in the mix of the Pirates rattling off 33 runs in three days is that the pitching only allowed nine at Coors Field during this series with the Rockies. That included just three tallies in the Pirates' 14-3 boat racing Wednesday.
It also included Johan Oviedo going six innings of one run ball, rattling off the rotation's ninth consecutive quality start, something that hasn't been done since Aug. 3-12, 2017.
“[It's] amazing," Oviedo said. "We support each other in a lot of different ways. We’ve got a connection. We're really happy with what we've been doing.”
Since Freeze Frame needs an actual moment to capture, how about we look at these sliders that got Ninja'd:
Johan Oviedo, Nasty Sliders. 😨 pic.twitter.com/iltdfwzvBP
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 19, 2023
The slider was a key pitch for Oviedo Wednesday, as he made it his primary pitch by throwing it 40 times. Coors Field is a nightmare for pitchers not just because fly balls go farther, but because breaking pitches tend to move less. That wasn't an issue for Oviedo, though.
“I just have a lot of feel for all four pitches, so instead of just throwing one a lot, I just try to mix all of them," Oviedo said. "It feels comfortable for me to throw any pitch at any time.”
