PITTSBURGH — The Pirates had a bad month in August of 2011. They went 8-22 as a once-promising season slipped away. That same month, relief pitcher Tony Watson had a rough stretch, giving up eight runs over three innings between Aug 22 and 29.
That stood as the worst three-game stretch of Watson’s career until Sunday, when the lefty gave up a two-run home run to Los Angeles first baseman Albert Pujols in a 5-4 loss to the Angels.
In total, Watson has allowed seven runs on seven hits and a walk over his last 2.1 innings. It’s been a precipitous decline in outcomes for a pitcher that gave up just 17 runs in all of 2015.
Watson typically features outstanding command. In his last three complete seasons, he has given up 17, 15, and 12 walks, respectively. His 2016 total of 10 free passes points to an obvious change, and more recently, Watson’s opponents have been capitalizing.
“There’s definitely times where you get away with mistakes, but if you keep doing it over and over, it’s not going to end up well for you,” Watson explained. “To keep doing it over and over, its frustrating, but that’s what’s going on right now.”
Against Adieny Hechavarria in Miami last week, Francisco Cervelli’s target started just above the knees of the Marlins’s shortstop. By the time Watson’s 93 MPH fastball reached the plate, Cervelli was reaching above Hechavarria’s belt.
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Against Yunel Esobar on Saturday, Chris Stewart was looking low and inside, but Watson’s fastball again missed it’s marking, sailing high and outside before being belted to the warning track in center field.
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On Sunday against Pujols, Stewart again set up low and in, but Watson’s 94 MPH offering ended up right at Pujols’ letters, and then ended up in the left-field seats.
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“Up and in fastball,” Watson correctly analyzed of his misplaced pitch. “He’s been around for a long time. He had one thing on his mind right there, to give his team the lead. Needs to be better execution.”
Watson didn’t have any quick-and-easy answers for what’s causing his sudden lack of command.
“Nothing’s different,” Watson insisted. “The only thing different is the location of the pitches. I’m just finding a lot of barrels right now, and it’s frustrating, but you know, as a reliever, you’ve just got to show up tomorrow. You might be out there again.”
GAME NOTES
• Gerrit Cole gave up three runs on six hits in 6.2 innings. He gave up a lead-off single to Escobar and Pujols drove him in with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, but then gave up just one hit in the next five frames.
He ran into trouble in seventh, giving up two runs on back-to-back RBI doubles by C.J. Cron and Gregorio Petit. Neftali Feliz relieved him to get the final out of the inning. Jared Hughes pitched a scoreless ninth.
• The Pirates loaded the bases on Huston Street in the ninth inning, but Sean Rodriguez grounded into a game-ending double play. It was the second time Rodriguez had come up short with a runner in scoring position. In the fifth inning, he came up with Jung Ho Kang on third base and one out, but grounded out to third base. Rodriguez finished 0 for 5 and is now 2 for 16 (.125) in the month of June.
UP NEXT
• Jonathon Niese (5-2 4.36 ERA) will face his former club for the first time as the New York Mets come to PNC Park for a three-game series.
