Early May isn’t a time to jump ship on a player or team, though it also doesn’t mean a starter like Chicago Cubs righty Yu Darvish isn’t above criticism for one simple reason: When he loses games because of mental breakdowns,custom nfl jerseys cheap despite having good stuff, it only highlights those contests where his stuff is below average.
The latter was the case on Wednesday, when Darvish — once again — failed to pitch at least five innings in an 11-2 blowout loss to the Colorado Rockies. Unlike some other poor outings, he wasn’t executing much at all.
“I was throwing the ball up in the zone where they would usually foul it off, but [Chris] Iannetta hit it well so I think they were just hitting the ball high in the zone in general today,” Darvish said through his interpreter after the game.
Iannetta was one of three Rockies who took Darvish deep as he gave up six runs on seven hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. Darvish did have eight strikeouts, but on a day when the wind was blowing out, he wasn’t careful enough. And as that Iannetta home run reached the stands — the second one Darvish gave up in the fifth inning — the boo birds could be heard at Wrigley.
“They put the bat on the ball and had the ability to make contact,” catcher Willson Contreras said through his own interpreter. “That’s pretty much what it came down to. … He was over the plate a lot in the strike zone.”
A pitcher not having his A-plus material isn’t worthy of a headline, but when he can’t finish five innings even on days when he does have his stuff, it makes outings like Wednesday’s less acceptable.
Darvish has failed to complete five innings in four of his six starts this year. That already matches a career high set just last season. The Cubs thought they could get more out of Darvish when they signed him to a six-year, $126 million contract. They’re getting decidedly less.
And how rough has the fifth inning been? His ERA in that frame is 31.50. No, that’s not a typo.cheap nfl authentic jerseys
“All the other games, including this one, I feel like I should take [responsibility] for,” Darvish said. “But every game that I pitch, there is progress inside of me.”
In two or three of his outings, Darvish fell apart after running into adversity, despite having a good fastball and movement on his pitches. He needs to win those games more often so clunkers don’t crush his season, and more importantly the Cubs’ title hopes. After Wednesday, Darvish’s ERA is an even, if unsightly, 6.00. The only thing the Cubs can do is support him. He might need it.
