re: DAT 4/22: Astros (LMJ) @ White Sox (Lopez) 1:10 CT

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The potential value of pine tar was raised in a recent social media conversation about the early-season performance of Gerrit Cole. After it was suggested in a thread of tweets that the spin rate on Cole's four-seam fastball has jumped significantly, and there was speculation about the use of pine tar, the Indians' Trevor Bauer jumped into the conversation April 11:

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Sarah Langs of ESPN Stats & Information sent along Cole's spin rate on his four-seamer from recent seasons. So far this season, his spin rate on his fastball has jumped up to 2,332 from last year's 2,163, which had been consistent with 2016 (2,178) and 2015 (2,157). The spin rates on his curveball and changeup have remained almost identical from year to year, but his slider has dropped significantly, from 974 to 669.

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