Pedro Strop has been frustrating O’s fans all season, pitching to a 6.55 ERA in 14 appearances. He’s allowed nine walks in just 11 innings, has already thrown four wild pitches (after throwing five in 66.1 IP in 2012), and just seems to have no idea where the ball is going when it leaves his hand.
He was slightly better in Anaheim over the weekend. He entered the game Friday in a low-pressure situation, with the Birds trailing 4-0, and retired all four batters he faced. Sunday, he issued another walk (and balked) but still got two ground balls to end the seventh with the O’s leading 5-4.
Regardless, O’s fans still won’t feel comfortable when Strop comes in until he shows a bit more consistency. Some Birds faithful were going as far as to call him “the new Kevin Gregg” a week or so ago – never a flattering comparison.
Strop, though, isn’t the only reliever who was dominant in 2012 who is now struggling mightily. In fact, his Dominican Republic teammate from the World Baseball Classic, Tampa closer Fernando Rodney, has had an even more striking reversal of fortunes.
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports explains:
Both Rodney, 36, and Strop, 27, played major roles in helping the D.R. win the tournament, combining to work 14 scoreless innings. Together, they struck out 15, allowed four hits and walked only three.
Both, however, also pitched with great frequency in the WBC. Rodney appeared in every one of the D.R.’s games, pitching eight times in 13 days. Strop, meanwhile, worked six times over that span.
And now?
Rodney is 4 for 6 in save opportunities with a 5.06 ERA and 19 base-runners allowed in 10-2/3 innings. His stuff is diminished from last season, when he went 48 for 50 in save chances and had a 0.60 ERA.
Strop, meanwhile, has allowed 18 base-runners in 11 innings and already given up as many home runs as he did in 2012 — two. His ERA stands at 5.73, up from 2.44 last season, when he emerged as an elite setup man.
Naturally, officials with the Rays and Orioles wonder if the heavy workloads and extreme intensity of the WBC had a negative impact on their respective relievers. But there is no way to know if a true cause-and-effect is taking place.
Strop and Rodney were both lights-out in the WBC. In fact, the guys over at O’s Uncensored went as far as to hilariously suggest that the O’s bring in a bunch of Dominicans to OPACY to sit behind the dugout and wave flags when Strop is on the mound, to recreate the WBC feel for him.
So what do you think – is the WBC affecting Strop and Rodney, or is it just a convenient excuse?
2 Responses
I totally think it is the WBC causing them to regress towards their career numbers. Normally when a relief pitcher has a career year they tend to continue at that new, higher level, for the next decade or so.
I don’t understand how the WBC would have any affect on his performance now. Could someone Please explain the theory?