After a great start to the season, Diamondbacks reliever Chad Qualls has been bad lately. I watched him pitch for the Astros, and at times, he was very inconsistent.
First 16 appearances:
0-1, 1-2 SV, 0.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 16 2/3 IP, 6 HA, 3 R, 0 ER, 16/7 K/BB
Last 4 appearances:
0-3, 0-2 SV, 18.00 ERA, 3.67 WHIP, 3 IP, 9 HA, 9 R, 6 ER, 4/2 K/BB
I haven't seen him pitch this season, but I am worried. Rough stretches are expected throughout the season, but not this bad.
For those of you who have seen him pitch, what is he doing differently? Or what is he not doing?
All releivers go through bad stretches. His location is way off. He is getting behind hitters and then just lobbing balls over the middle of the plate.
I would have likd to have seen Scherzer go more but I understand Melvin's reasoning for pulling him. it just did not work this time.
More than anything htough, I am more concerned about our sudden lack of hitting. It could be the very cold weather in Chicago and a very tired ballclub. It is hard to play on a high and consistent level for 162 games. Even the Dodgers are now scrambling for runs. And what about Brad Penny giving up 10 runs in 4.2 innings last time out?
It's a long season and we are going to have stretches like this. At least I like the way Young has picked up his game and Ojeda has been terrific. Also, on the positive side, Scherzer really pitched well ( a lot better than I thought he would) which bodes well for us down the line.
Tomorrow is going to be rough as well, with Zambrano going. We just need for Houston to keep the Dodgers at bay as much as possible right now until we get our ship steady again.
I am not happy about this either. But, I am not putting all this on Chad Qualls. I was going to start a thread about this, but I will go ahead here where you already have it started.
The Bullpen and Chris Snyder have cost the Diamondbacks two wins already just this week. Both games could have and should have been won by the Dbacks. On Wednesday, Qualls came in with a one run lead. He strikes out Shane Victorino with a nasty slider that should have been caught by Snyder. The ball gets away and Victorino is safe at first base when in a bang bang play at first he and Conor Jackson collide in a massive collision. Long story short, Victorino scores and there is another past ball(that should have been stopped by Snyder) leading to the go ahead run for the Phillies.
Today, Qualls comes in with a one run lead again trying to preserve Max Scherzer's first MLB win. He gives up a lead off single to Reed Johnson who is bunted over to second then scores on Daryle Ward's single down the LF line. Pinch runner for Ward who moves up to second on another past ball by Snyder. That was the opening of the flood gate which lead to a 6 run inning for the Cubs. Brandon Medders came in to make what was a bad situation even worse giving up 2 ER.
Now, Qualls has had some control issues getting deep into counts with batters when coming into games lately, but I feel that some of the blame must lie with Chris Snyder. He has to be able to catch the baseball when it hits him in the glove as well balls that should be blocked. I am not letting the pitching off the hook, but it is the job of the catcher to catch the baseball!
Another issue as of late is all the unearned runs that are being scored against the Dbacks. This is a very troublesome trend, that if not addressed and corrected will continue to lead to many more losses.
I agree, our sudden best team in baseball is being chipped away, luckily the only team reasonably close is LA and Houston is helping us out by beating them up. Another trend i've noticed is either we hit well and score alot, or we seem to struggle to get runs, especially late in the game when its needed most. Also, I heard somewhere that Dbacks lead NL with runners left on base. These are mass RBI chances that are not being taken advantage of. We need a winning streak again to help boost spirits.
Meanwhile we are still tied for the best record in baseball and in the last three days have gained a half game on the Dodgers. There is still joy in Mudville....
