Busting Cliff

The premier matchup as far as a Texas pitcher and Giants batter would be Cliff Lee against rookie sensation Buster Posey.  Can Buster hit Cliff hard?  Against left-handed pitchers, Buster likes the ball down the middle of the plate:

Buster Posey slugging vs. LHP, 2010.Cliff Lee certainly throws in that area, although he does try to keep the ball away from righties.

Cliff Lee pitch frequency against RHB, 2010That's not the whole story, however.  Most of Cliff's pitches to RHB tend to move away from the batter.

Cliff Lee movement against RHB, 2010.Posey likes to smack balls moving toward him.

Buster Posey slugging, movement by LHP, 2010.So the predominant movement Cliff puts on his pitches plays against Posey's strength as a power hitter.