SAN DIEGO -- By definition, both Dinelson Lamet and Brad Hand throw a slider. The similarities between the two pitches end there.
Lamet's is high-octane, averaging 86 mph, but its drop is straight and less pronounced than Hand's -- which comes out averaging 82 mph and hooks from left to right.
Lamet, a right-hander, comes over the top to throw his slider. He grips the pitch with his index finger bent and his fingertip digging into the baseball. Hand, a lefty, uses a lower arm angle, and he holds the baseball like a typical two-seam fastball.