Sal Romano has the fastball velocity. He has a nice breaking ball to work with, as well. Neither of them are elite pitches, but they give the right-hander a solid foundation to work from. Two-pitch starting pitchers without dominant stuff are rare for a reason, however: it’s hard to keep hitters guessing when they have a 50/50 shot of knowing what’s being thrown at them. This is especially true when facing a pitcher for the third or fourth time in a game.
Developing a changeup has been Romano’s mission since coming to the major leagues. Why the Reds didn’t have him work on the pitch more in the minor leagues — similar to what they did with Tony Cingrani — is a mystery.