SNY: Salfino: Even Major Leaguers may not be able to repeat a motion

Commonly known in the video analysis biz as wandering Dontrellelam.

Not long ago, Phil Hughes generally was regarded as the best pitching prospect in baseball. Ian Kennedy was viewed as being close behind.

As Hughes’ stock declined this offseason—an AL East scout cited in a piece I wrote in the fall described his ceiling as No. 2 starter—Kennedy’s rose.

Now both are slumping mightily, though Kennedy bounced back mildly Monday night before being hit by a liner and having the bullpen blow his win.

Hughes has permitted 24 baserunners in 11 innings with a 9.00 ERA (nine strikeouts/eight walks) and Kennedy has allowed 22 baserunners in 14 innings with a 8.74 ERA (nine K’s/8BB’s). Neither have allowed a homer yet, either a bright side or a sign that only good fortune has prevented those ERAs from being even more ghastly.

Is it merely a slump? Are there subtle mechanical problems in their respective deliveries that need to be ironed out? If you listen to the experts on the Web who do frame-by-frame breakdowns of pitcher deliveries, you come away thinking that slumps are caused by these differences, broken down in Zapruder-film-like fashion.