‘Jumpy’ JJ still dominated

Dominating is a word that has been used to describe Josh Johnson’s near no-hit performance last week in Atlanta.

“Jumpy” is a word used by Marlins pitching coach Randy St. Claire.

JJ agrees with his pitching coach.

While Johnson made national headlines by carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning at Turner Field, the reality is the hard-throwing right-hander wasn’t at his best.

In fact, he felt he had better stuff in his first two starts, which just goes to show how overpowering JJ can be. Imagine what might happen on a day he brings his A Game? Perhaps a no-hitter will just be a matter of time.

Early on in Atlanta, JJ was a bit “jumpy,” in his delivery. Basically, he was rushing and not in rhythm. Still, he was able to string together outs, and he got better as the game progressed.

A sign when JJ isn’t happy with his delivery is when he taps his right leg, a reminder he uses to get his mechanics back in sync. Early on, he was tapping his leg, but he made adjustments and cruised until Freddie Freeman slapped an opposite-field double with one out in the eighth.

JJ’s night ended after that pitch, which was his 109th on the night.

Johnson takes the mound on Tuesday night in the Marlins’ series opener with the Pirates at Sun Life Stadium. The hard-throwing right-hander looks to improve to 3-0. One thing is for sure, whenever JJ takes the mound, those in attendance have a chance to possibly witness history.

Here’s a JJ fun stat. According to Fangraphs.com, Johnson’s average fastball is tied for the third highest of any starter in the big leagues.

Fangraphs’s Top five

Michael Pineda 95.5
David Price 94.6
Josh Johnson 94.1
Edison Volquez 94.1
Andrew Cashner 93.9

– Joe Frisaro