Carlos on Carlos - The Marmol and Theriot facts

After watching Carlos Marmol blow a 9th inning lead to the Cardinals on Sunday, Carlos Zambrano let loose a barrage to the gathered reporters. Marmol, who has blown saves in Zambrano's last two outings, threw a slider to Ryan Theriot with a 2-2 count and the tying run on first. Theriot, who said he was "looking for a slider the whole time", ripped it into the left-field corner for a game-tying double. Albert Pujols won it with a 10th inning walkoff. 

Zambrano said Marmol should have thrown Theriot a fastball, but instead gave him a slider. "We should know that Ryan Theriot is not a good fastball hitter, we should know that as a team," Zambrano said. "We stink. That's all I have to say."

Let's look at some facts:

Batters are hitting .219 against Marmol this season. Yes, that is up considerably from his lifetime .177 BAA but still pretty good.

The fastball is a mixed bag for Marmol:

Marmol has thrown 198 fastballs. Batters have swung and missed on 21.9%.Batters are 10-for-21 against the Marmol fastball, a .476 avg.

The slider is Marmol's out pitch.

Marmol has thrown 277 slidersBatters are 8-for-71 against the Marmol slider, a .113 avg.

Next comes Ryan Theriot...

Theriot against the slider:

Theriot has seen 132 sliders this seasonAgainst the slider, Theriot is hitting .478, 11-for-23.

Against the fastball:

Theriot has seen 480 fastballsRyan is  33-for-107, good for a .308 average.

Bottom Line:

Ryan Theriot is a hot hitter. He has a .300 average this season and in his current 19-game hitting streak is hitting .333. Yes, he hits sliders better than fastballs, but the slider is Marmol's best pitch.

Should Marmol have thrown the slider? That's for you to decide.

Should Zambrano have spoken out? That, I have already decided and my answer is, "No."