One Pitch Changes Everything for Pirates' Jared Jones vs. Angels
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PITTSBURGH — Jared Jones was looking to end his recent slump for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he did that by executing one pitch.
Jones relied on his slider and dominated the Los Angeles Angels, throwing seven of his nine strikeouts with it over six scoreless innings in the 1-0 shutout win at PNC Park on Sept. 4.
It was one of Jones' best outings of his career, tying his season-high in innings pitched and his career-high in strikeouts, while also giving the Pirates a big victory to keep them in the National League Wild Card race.
Jones also bucked a poor August and got off to a great start to September, where he'll try and finish off the season the best way he can.
Why Jones Had Success With the Slider
Jones got the most out of his slider in this game, as the Angels had little idea of what to do with it.
He threw it almost half the time, with a first-pitch strike on five of six batters (83%), giving up just one hit on four batted ball events.
Jones also posted a 61% whiff rate, with 19 whiffs on 31 swings, the most whiffs for any Pirates pitcher in the pitch tracking era (since 2008), eclipsing Ian Snell, who had 16 whiffs on June 11, 2008, per Alex Stumpf.
"Felt great," Jones said on his slider. "Felt like I could put it where we wanted, outside of miscues with it. I felt like it was on the entire night.”
His slider also played a big role in the only jam he had on the night, when he gave up back-to-back hits to start the second inning, putting runners on the corners.
Jones then got three outs on the slider, with a pop-up and back-to-back strikeouts to end it and keep the Angels scoreless.
The Pirates' burgeoning ace relied almost exclusively on his slider and four-seam fastball, a combo he's succeeded in the past with, despite it not always working the way he wants.
Jared Jones Pitch Mix vs. Angels
Pitch | Usage | Velocity |
|---|---|---|
Slider | 49% (45/91) | 89.9 mph |
Four-Seam Fastball | 42% (38/91) | 98.6 mph |
Curveball | 7% (6/91) | 86.3 mph |
Changeup | 2% (2/91) | 93.0 mph |
Jones credited his pitch decisions to catcher Henry Daivs and that as long as it's working, he'll go with his plan.
“I don’t think when I’m on the mound," Jones said. "Whatever I hear in my PitchCom, I throw. I’m just trusting Henry and seeing what he’s got. They were chasing it the entire night, so I kept giving it to them.”
Jones Moves Past Tough August
Jones has been back with the Pirates for a little than three months now, after returning in late May from his internal brace surgery rehab.
He dominated in July after a rough start, which included six perfect innings against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park on July 8, but struggled in August, with a 7.40 ERA, a .318 batting average allowed and a 1.94 WHIP, all three amongst the worst for MLB starting pitchers.
The Pirates need the best from Jones, as they are 70-72 overall and four games back in the NL Wild Card race with 20 games remaining.
Pittsburgh has also gotten two big returners in center fielder Oneil Cruz and shortstop Konnor Griffin, who scored the winning run in his return, while Cruz made a great catch in the seventh inning.
Jones finding his best form, along with the Pirates having their best player at their disposal again, gives them the best shot at making a postseason run.
“Why not? Throughout the year, it kind of sucks when you have injuries," Jones said. "They happen. But for them to be some of your best players, that does suck. But we’re slowly getting them back, little by little, and having Oneil come back first and then Konnor trail with him, we’re starting to get our full squad back together. I feel like if anyone, we could be the one to get on a run.”
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.