The Arizona Republic

Starters struggle with control early in count

- Nick Piecoro

Robbie Ray’s first pitch of the game on Saturday evening was a fastball that missed inside to Fernando Tatis Jr. Ray’s first pitch to the next two batters also were balls, sliders that missed off the plate.

Ray retired all three hitters, but he did so despite going against a primary tenet of universal pitching philosophy: He did not pound the strike zone. Through four games, Ray’s issues are the most pronounced on the Diamondbac­ks’ pitching staff, but he is hardly alone.

The Diamondbac­ks are not throwing strikes early in counts. They are not battling back to get ahead in the count. Their starters are burning through their pitch counts and failing to get deep in games.

With 21 runs and 27 walks allowed, it is no wonder the Diamondbac­ks dropped three of four games to the San Diego Padres in their first series of the season.

“Our message as an organizati­on is, bottom line, the best pitchers in the game throw more strikes than anybody else,” Diamondbac­ks pitching coach Matt Herges said. “It makes life a lot easier when you’re getting ahead, attacking, winning the first three pitches. That’s everyone’s motto in the game of pitching. We just haven’t done that.”

Ray threw first-pitch strikes to just six of the 18 batters he faced. Zac Gallen (10 of 19) and Luke Weaver (10 of 20) were not markedly better. Only lefthander Madison Bumgarner (14 of 23, 60.8 percent) was in line with last year’s average first-pitch strike percentage (61.7) among major league starters.

In all, the starters have thrown firstpitch strikes to 40 of 80 batters faced (50 percent), the third-worst percentage of any rotation in the majors.

So far, the issues have permeated throughout the pitching staff. Opposing hitters have had 149 plate appearance­s against the Diamondbac­ks. Just 35 of those — 23.5 percent — concluded with the Diamondbac­ks’ pitcher ahead in the count. That is the lowest rate in baseball. The Cincinnati Reds (42.9 percent), Cleveland Indians (42.8 percent) and Los Angeles Dodgers (40.8 percent) are the top 3 teams in the majors.

Herges said he has been reminding his pitchers that their stuff is good enough that they don’t have nibble around the zone or give opposing hitters too much respect. Their stuff, he has told them, can get hitters out even when thrown in the strike zone.

“Everyone is amped the first time out, but that’s not an excuse,” Herges said. “They’re pros and they can reel it in. But why are we missing just off the plate? Why did that pitch miss? Is it a mind-set thing? Is it a mechanical thing? So far, I don’t think any of them have been mechanical. It’s been more of a mind-set thing. They’re going to right this, no doubt in my mind.”

Prior to the Padres series, none of the Diamondbac­ks starters had pitched in anything other than intrasquad games since spring training was shut down in March. Herges was adamant in refusing to use that an excuse for his pitchers.

However, the three Diamondbac­ks starters who spoke to the media after their outings — Bumgarner being the exception — each mentioned some variation on that theme.

Ray said he was battling his timing, attributin­g it to the adrenaline of facing a different team. Gallen said he was “rushing” and needed to “knock the rust off ” from not yet having faced rival hitters. Weaver, too, used the phrase “firstgame jitters.”

“There’s no excuse; look what Kyle Hendricks did,” Herges said, referring to the three-hit shutout the Cubs’ righthande­r threw in their opener. “I’m not going to let that play into it. We just simply haven’t executed. That’s what we’re focusing on. Even if I entertaine­d an excuse like that — I don’t mean to be rude to your question — just coming from me, I can’t let that sit, no way. They should be throwing more strikes, plain and simple.”

 ?? ORLANDO RAMIREZ/USA TODAY SPORTS ?? Diamondbac­ks starting pitcher Robbie Ray pitches during the first inning against the Padres on Saturday.
ORLANDO RAMIREZ/USA TODAY SPORTS Diamondbac­ks starting pitcher Robbie Ray pitches during the first inning against the Padres on Saturday.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States