Bailey Falter pitches in the first inning Tuesday at PNC Park.
Upon having his previous start in New York last all of 3 2/3 innings amid a handful of walks, Bailey Falter had talked about struggling with lower-body mechanics.
Tonight, back at PNC Park against the Reds, he shut down Major League Baseball's ninth-ranked run-scoring offense, pitching seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out five to pace the Pirates to a 1-0 victory that snapped the team's four-game losing streak.
The game didn't start well for Falter, who allowed a leadoff triple to TJ Friedl off the Clemente Wall, this off a 1-2 curve he'd left up:
MLB.com
What followed was a soft groundout to second base by Santiago Espinal, which held Friedl at third base. Then came this strikeout of Elly De La Cruz on arguably Falter's best pitch of the night, an 85-mph slider that visibly had De La Cruz off balance:
Falter finished off the first-inning threat by inducing a pop-up from Austin Hays. The Reds generated one additional threat, in the fourth, following a leadoff double by Espinal. Falter shut that one down by striking out Spencer Steer.
This three-pitch strikeout of Matt McLain in the fifth started with a curve and a slider to set up the elevated sinker, followed by one confident-looking strut off the mound:
"To have two outings before we go to the Mets ... he didn't have his command that day a little but he was able to grind through it, kept them off the board," DonKelly said. "Then to come out today and go seven strong, phenomenal job."
Falter explained that he'd made a conscious effort to improve those lower-body mechanics, and it's paid dividends: In four May starts, he's allowed one earned run on 11 hits and nine walks over 22 2/3 innings, good for a 0.38 ERA and 0.85 WHIP.
Repeating: One run. All month.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Falter's one of seven pitchers in franchise history since at least 1893 -- nine times total -- with 23 2/3 or more innings of one or zero runs allowed in a four-start span within the same season. The last to do it: J.A. Happ with one run over24 2/3 innings in 2015.
“Just trying to get in my legs as much as possible," Falter said, before referencing strength and conditioning coach Terence Brannic. "Then, working really hard with Terence in the weight room. I'm a super-hyper-mobile guy, so the stability thing was always a thing for me. We've been doing this lower-body movement, core med ball workout the day before I pitch and it just really tightens everything up for me. Sometimes I realize, when I'm loosey-goosey, my extension is anywhere from like 7.5 to like 7.8. But when I'm nice and tight, it’s like 7.1 to 7.3 and I feel like that's just where my stuff plays the best, honestly.”
After all that, he added, “I mean, having the heater helps, too.”
The fastball and all else are certainly conspiring to keep hitters off balance. This month, Falter leads all starting pitchers who've pitched at least 10 innings with a .146 batting average on balls in play, and he ranks third with a 28.6% soft contact rate.
“He was electric," Kelly said. "His fastball exploding through the zone, his command, both sides of the plate, pitching in. Just the way that Joey Bart was able to mix in the off-speed there and go back to the fastball, and Bailey just hit right where Joey wanted, inside lane especially. To have it open up like that, to be able to throw his slider and split, he did a great job.”
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THE ASYLUM
Eric Bowser
3:16 am - 05.21.2025North ShoreGoing Deep: Falter's ‘phenomenal’ May
JUSTIN BERL / GETTY
Bailey Falter pitches in the first inning Tuesday at PNC Park.
Upon having his previous start in New York last all of 3 2/3 innings amid a handful of walks, Bailey Falter had talked about struggling with lower-body mechanics.
Tonight, back at PNC Park against the Reds, he shut down Major League Baseball's ninth-ranked run-scoring offense, pitching seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out five to pace the Pirates to a 1-0 victory that snapped the team's four-game losing streak.
The game didn't start well for Falter, who allowed a leadoff triple to TJ Friedl off the Clemente Wall, this off a 1-2 curve he'd left up:
MLB.com
What followed was a soft groundout to second base by Santiago Espinal, which held Friedl at third base. Then came this strikeout of Elly De La Cruz on arguably Falter's best pitch of the night, an 85-mph slider that visibly had De La Cruz off balance:
Falter finished off the first-inning threat by inducing a pop-up from Austin Hays. The Reds generated one additional threat, in the fourth, following a leadoff double by Espinal. Falter shut that one down by striking out Spencer Steer.
This three-pitch strikeout of Matt McLain in the fifth started with a curve and a slider to set up the elevated sinker, followed by one confident-looking strut off the mound:
"To have two outings before we go to the Mets ... he didn't have his command that day a little but he was able to grind through it, kept them off the board," Don Kelly said. "Then to come out today and go seven strong, phenomenal job."
Falter explained that he'd made a conscious effort to improve those lower-body mechanics, and it's paid dividends: In four May starts, he's allowed one earned run on 11 hits and nine walks over 22 2/3 innings, good for a 0.38 ERA and 0.85 WHIP.
Repeating: One run. All month.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Falter's one of seven pitchers in franchise history since at least 1893 -- nine times total -- with 23 2/3 or more innings of one or zero runs allowed in a four-start span within the same season. The last to do it: J.A. Happ with one run over 24 2/3 innings in 2015.
“Just trying to get in my legs as much as possible," Falter said, before referencing strength and conditioning coach Terence Brannic. "Then, working really hard with Terence in the weight room. I'm a super-hyper-mobile guy, so the stability thing was always a thing for me. We've been doing this lower-body movement, core med ball workout the day before I pitch and it just really tightens everything up for me. Sometimes I realize, when I'm loosey-goosey, my extension is anywhere from like 7.5 to like 7.8. But when I'm nice and tight, it’s like 7.1 to 7.3 and I feel like that's just where my stuff plays the best, honestly.”
After all that, he added, “I mean, having the heater helps, too.”
The fastball and all else are certainly conspiring to keep hitters off balance. This month, Falter leads all starting pitchers who've pitched at least 10 innings with a .146 batting average on balls in play, and he ranks third with a 28.6% soft contact rate.
“He was electric," Kelly said. "His fastball exploding through the zone, his command, both sides of the plate, pitching in. Just the way that Joey Bart was able to mix in the off-speed there and go back to the fastball, and Bailey just hit right where Joey wanted, inside lane especially. To have it open up like that, to be able to throw his slider and split, he did a great job.”
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Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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