Abner Uribe, Pitch by Pitch: NLCS Game 3 Analysis

Abner Uribe’s slider finished Max Muncy in the sixth inning. He took a called strike with it, reached a 2–1 count and then missed Muncy’s bat with consecutive sliders at 89.1 and 89.9 mph. That strikeout was his only out.

On either side of it, Uribe walked Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker and Shohei Ohtani. Will Smith then drove the first pitch of his plate appearance to center field for a two-run double, moving Los Angeles ahead 2–1. Uribe left with runners at second and third and one out. DL Hall stranded both in Milwaukee’s eventual 6–2 victory.

Uribe’s final line was one-third of an inning, one hit, two earned runs, three walks and one strikeout on 20 pitches. The same-role comparison uses 918 physical pitches in 61 regular-season Milwaukee relief appearances from March 28 through September 25.

The slider worked within a much larger location problem

The repertoire remained a sinker-slider pairing. He threw 14 sinkers and six sliders, or 70.0% and 30.0%. In the baseline, those shares were 61.8% and 38.0%, with two other pitches retained in the full denominator. His sinkers averaged 99.0 mph, close to the season’s 98.8. Sliders averaged 89.1 against 87.9.

Location limited the opportunity to use that speed. Seventeen of his 20 pitches finished outside the ball-center zone defined below. Only one of those 17 drew a swing. That geometric classification is separate from the umpire’s official call: the box score records 14 balls and six strikes.

The two slider misses came from just three total swing attempts across the outing. A 66.7% whiff rate would be a misleading centerpiece without that denominator. The Dodgers generally did not need to swing, and Uribe produced no fouls that could extend a hitter’s attempt to survive a difficult count.

One ball in play did the damage

Smith hit the outing’s only ball in play at 101.9 mph. It traveled a recorded 384 feet and scored Hernández and Tucker. The double made the preceding walks expensive: Uribe had allowed no hit before Smith stepped in, but had already put three runners aboard.

Hall inherited Ohtani at third and Smith at second. Neither scored, keeping Uribe’s charged total at two runs. The result was therefore contained by the next pitcher rather than by a late recovery in Uribe’s own appearance.

Uribe retained his fastball speed and demonstrated that his slider could still finish a hitter. The central issue was acquiring enough strikes to reach those opportunities. His next appearance would provide a clearer test through the number of pitches hitters can take outside the zone, rather than through another small-sample whiff percentage.