Rich Hill went into his start against the New York Mets on Wednesday night looking to avoid the command issues that have plagued him for much of this season. The Los Angeles Dodgers were in a 1-0 deficit a mere two pitches into the game.
But the Curtis Granderson home run was all the Mets managed against Hill. They did load the bases with nobody out in the fourth inning — partly due to a Chase Utley error — but left them full as Hill struck out the side.
Some of his success can be attributed to incorporating a new pitch that was part cutter, part slider.