John Axford

Everybody wants him to perform and wants him to do well.

But breaking it down just to the smallest portion of even yesterday, I was thinking back to, I think it was his second at-bat against Soriano.

He got the...

I think it was first pitch cutter or slider up in the zone.

And he recognized it, I think, right away, but swung under it, missed it, fouled it off.

Yeah, it was a slider right at the top.

Yeah, saw it, eyes wide open, ready to go get that thing, but still just couldn't quite get the barrel to it.

Timing was great, just missed it.

And then the ninth inning.

What are you waiting for with bases loaded?

He gets a first pitch hanging slider, not something that he's looking for because there wasn't even a flinch at it.

Me as a reliever, I'm thinking the entire time, I don't want to hang a slider right here.

I can't hang a slider, but I also know I have to throw a breaking ball.

And Bachman threw it in what, like basically the nitro zone.

Yes, 100%.

Like, you're thinking that as the reliever.

I have to throw a breaking ball, but I can't leave it over the plate because he is going to absolutely destroy it, and there wasn't even a flinch at it.

So, you know, I don't know what his first pitch approach is all the time, but in those instances, he had two opportunities to put damage to a baseball.

One he swung at and just missed it, and one he didn't even flinch at.

So I don't know if there's a guessing game up there for him.