Tyler Glasnow followed up the best start of his early Los Angeles Dodgers career with a clunker against the Washington Nationals on Jackie Robinson Day.
Glasnow allowed six runs on eight hits, including two home runs, in five innings pitched to a Nationals lineup that ranks near the bottom in terms of runs scored this season. It was far from the masterpiece of seven innings and 14 strikeouts against the Minnesota Twins last week.
“I think just not a lot of execution,” Glasnow explained of his struggles. “I don’t think any of my pitches were really working, not hitting my spots and just falling behind early. If I’m only throwing one pitch for a strike, they’re able to sit on something, stay on the heater and I think it’s just easier to sell out to one pitch.
There weren’t drastic changes in terms of pitch usage when comparing Glasnow’s two most recent starts. His fastball, slider and curveball percentages all were well within season norms.
But the control issues Glasnow highlighted and his bad misses were punished by Nationals hitters. The lack of command led to a reduced number of swings and misses with only 12 swinging strikes on Monday, which was down from the 21 he had against the Twins.
A lack of control on offspeed pitches was especially detrimental. A spiked curveball resulted in a wild pitch that allowed a run to score in the first inning, but Glasnow’s worst mistake was a full-count hanging slider to Luis García Jr. that extended the Nationals’ lead to 6-2.
“Just a bad slider. Left it up, not executed,” Glasnow said. “It was a super-hittable pitch.”
While all three of Glasnow’s pitches were erratic, not being able to land the curveball was especially hurtful as he is at his best when in command of it. Against the Twins, Glasnow recorded three called strikes and three swinging strikes with the curve. On Monday, that was down to just two swinging strikes.
Glasnow did not mention it when speaking with reporters but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed the right-hander had been feeling under the weather for multiple days.
Tyler Glasnow appreciated Jackie Robinson Day start
Although it wasn’t the start he wanted, Glasnow did enjoy his opportunity to pitch for the Dodgers on Jackie Robinson day at Dodger Stadium.
“It’s a great experience,” he said. “Obviously, I wish I would’ve pitched a little bit better and we could’ve got a win, but zooming out, it’s definitely an awesome experience. Just to be able to pitch tonight feels really good.”
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