EDGEAI
-11 pts
Nelson Velázquez is a safer bet to put the ball in play tonight than he usually is, and his season strikeout rate does not show it. He strikes out 20% of the time against the kind of pitches Zac Thornton throws, compared with 31% against everyone else — 11 points better. The reason is the cutter: Zac Thornton throws it 30% of the time, and Nelson Velázquez strikes out 11% of the time against it across 9 plate appearances. A season strikeout rate averages every kind of pitcher he has faced, so a matchup like this disappears into it. Based on 65% of what this pitcher throws — he has not faced the rest often enough to measure.
Published Sunday, August 30, 2026
Nelson Velázquez is a safer bet to put the ball in play tonight than he usually is, and his season strikeout rate does not show it. He strikes out 20% of the time against the kind of pitches Zac Thornton throws, compared with 31% against everyone else — 11 points better. The reason is the cutter: Zac Thornton throws it 30% of the time, and Nelson Velázquez strikes out 11% of the time against it across 9 plate appearances. A season strikeout rate averages every kind of pitcher he has faced, so a matchup like this disappears into it. Based on 65% of what this pitcher throws — he has not faced the rest often enough to measure.
THE NUMBERS
This record was written when the finding was first published and has not been edited since. The numbers and the wording are what our engines produced on the day.