You're sunk

What makes Derek Lowe's sinkerball such a devastating pitch is not just its heavy drop. Its the considerable control he has over it. After moving front reliever to a starting role this year, Lowe has posted a 10-2 record with a 1.89 ERA, tops in the American League. This blossoming has been built around an improved ability to baffle righthanded and lefthanded hitters with the sinker, an out pitch he can place on either edge of the plate. Lowe's sinker tails down and in to righthanders, down and away to lefthanders. After discovering last season that lefties were sitting on the pitch, waiting for him to hang it over the middle part of the plate. Lowe has learned how to throw it inside to them. He aims for the right hip of lefthanded hitters, and if the sinker breaks properly, they are unable to take a good hack as it crosses the inner half of the plate.

Against righthanders, Lowe now can work both sides of the plate. It's almost impossible for righthanded hitters to get a good swing at Lowe's sinker when it comes inside. And when Lowe works righthanders away, he gets the ball to tail in at the last instant to nick the corner for a strike.

"Righthanded hitters give up on it," says one major league scout. "They see it start away, and a righthanded hitter perceives it to be a ball. He can use all 17 inches of the plate with both righties and lefties. That's what sets him apart. There are other guys who can throw good sinkers but not with his control."

Lowe keeps the ball low, which is crucial for any pitcher but critical for a sinker-baller if he is going to get the groundball outs he depends upon. Alluding to a Lowe-Benny Agbayani matchup, a scout said. "Every pitch was just below Agbayani's knees. You're thinking as a hitter. `That's the best pitch I'm going to see--he cant hit that spot again I'll try to swing next time.' And when they swing, they either miss it or ground out."

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