Starters innings pitched

[Dominikk85 490]

Is this an issue again this year? 

Last year the pen was really taxed because starters weren't able to go deep a lot. 

This year so far starters went 5.1, 4.0,  4.2, 4.2, 5.0, 5.1, 5.0 so no starter managed to even start the 6th inning. 

This of course puts a lot of stress on the pen when they have to pitch more than 4 innings per game. 

Do you see this just as an early season ramp up that will get better over the season? 

I think at least in theory with Lynn, Giolito and keuchel should regularly be able to go at least 6 and sometimes 7 to give the pen a breather and that definitely will be needed because cease, rodon and maybe kopech if he gets stretched out will mean a lot of sub 5 inning starts. 

[fathom 6,286]

Keuchel half-assed ST, so it’s no surprise he’s struggling at the start.

[wegner 1,522]

I think Lynn could have gone longer in his last start...Hoping for a nice long outing for opening day.

[Balta1701 3,291]

1 minute ago, wegner said:

I think Lynn could have gone longer in his last start...Hoping for a nice long outing for opening day.

He was breaking at the end too. 

[ptatc 1,624]

9 minutes ago, Dominikk85 said:

Is this an issue again this year? 

Last year the pen was really taxed because starters weren't able to go deep a lot. 

This year so far starters went 5.1, 4.0,  4.2, 4.2, 5.0, 5.1, 5.0 so no starter managed to even start the 6th inning. 

This of course puts a lot of stress on the pen when they have to pitch more than 4 innings per game. 

Do you see this just as an early season ramp up that will get better over the season? 

I think at least in theory with Lynn, Giolito and keuchel should regularly be able to go at least 6 and sometimes 7 to give the pen a breather and that definitely will be needed because cease, rodon and maybe kopech if he gets stretched out will mean a lot of sub 5 inning starts. 

Get used to it. Teams are conditioning starters to go balls out until they die and don't like to have them face the lineup a third time. It isn't just the Sox, it's analytics telling all teams to do this.

[Kalapse 564]

League average IP/GS this year is 4.9, the Sox were averaging 4.8 before Keuchel's 5 innings today. They're also averaging the 2nd most pitches per start at 90, league average is 83 PIT/GS.

[gravybread 3]

Pitching 5.1 means you start the 6th inning, fwiw

[Kalapse 564]

Kinda interesting: coming into today there have been 146 games started on the season, basically once through the rotation, the most pitches from a starter is 105 by Johnny Cueto. Out of 146 starts only 5 were 100+ pitches, Lance Lynn's 99 pitches were 6th most.

[ptatc 1,624]

4 minutes ago, Kalapse said:

Kinda interesting: coming into today there have been 146 games started on the season, basically once through the rotation, the most pitches from a starter is 105 by Johnny Cueto. Out of 146 starts only 3 were 100+ pitches, Lance Lynn's 99 pitches were 4th most.

Not uncommon early in the year even in a normal year. I think you'll see even more early hooks due to the limited innings pitched last year.

[YourWhatHurts 541]

Sox rotation

 

[ShoeLessRob 313]

Think Gio and Lynn are good for close to 200 innings. Everyone else is a huge question mark. 

[ptatc 1,624]

6 minutes ago, ShoeLessRob said:

Think Gio and Lynn are good for close to 200 innings. Everyone else is a huge question mark. 

It will be interesting to see if they limit innings due to the decreased innings last year.

[HOFHurt35 501]

Keuchel and that $18 million hanging over his head is starting to scare me.  

[ScooterMcGee 837]

I don't think starters innings pitched is an issue. Sure, they could chill on the full counts, but as others have noted, it's becoming the norm around the league. The issue is non-existant timely hitting, defensive blunders, baserunning ineptitude, and they really need luck to start getting on their side as well.

Sox are running themselves out of ballgames and aren't taking advantage of the gifts being given to them...the walks tonight and the 4 unearned runs against the Angels the other night as examples.

Edited April 8 by ScooterMcGee

[ptatc 1,624]

3 minutes ago, ScooterMcGee said:

I don't think starters innings pitched is an issue. Sure, they could chill on the full counts, but as others have noted, it's becoming the norm around the league. The issue is non-existant timely hitting, defensive blunders, baserunning ineptitude, and they really need luck to start getting on their side as well.

Sox are running themselves out of ballgames and aren't taking advantage of the gifts being given to them...the walks tonight and the 4 unearned runs against the Angels the other night as examples.

The unearned runs are the story of the season so far.

[South Side Hit Men 751]

2 minutes ago, HOFHurt35 said:

Keuchel and that $18 million hanging over his head is starting to scare me.  

The contract was too long and for too much, the reason why competitive the FOs didn’t offer similar deals. The Sox payroll is already hamstrung, if he vests that handcuffs the 2023 season even further.

[NWINFan 483]

The day of the complete game is long gone. But starters need  at least get into the seventh. At least the good ones should. Perhaps not worry about strike outs and pitch to contact to keep the pitch count down? Oh, wait a minute, you don't have a defense behind you.

[ptatc 1,624]

1 minute ago, NWINFan said:

The day of the complete game is long gone. But starters need  at least get into the seventh. At least the good ones should. Perhaps not worry about strike outs and pitch to contact to keep the pitch count down? Oh, wait a minute, you don't have a defense behind you.

Not going to happen. The average starts across the league the last 2 years has creeper down to close to 5. The analytics say the strikeout is the best way so nearly every pitcher is sacrificing control to get more velocity.

[SoxBlanco 895]

This thread is exactly why I was in favor of he plan to have Kopech and Crochet start with the big league team. There will be plenty of opportunities to get multi-inning relief appearances and build up their innings. And they get to do it against big league hitters. 

[HOFHurt35 501]

3 minutes ago, South Side Hit Men said:

The contract was too long and for too much, the reason why competitive the FOs didn’t offer similar deals. The Sox payroll is already hamstrung, if he vests that handcuffs the 2023 season even further.

It feels like only questionable deals like this are the players willing to take the Sox money.   

[fathom 6,286]

Just now, HOFHurt35 said:

It feels like only questionable deals like this are the players willing to take the Sox money.   

I would say a lot of teams have issues like this, we’re just not used to it because of how cheap the Sox are.

[HOFHurt35 501]

3 minutes ago, SoxBlanco said:

This thread is exactly why I was in favor of he plan to have Kopech and Crochet start with the big league team. There will be plenty of opportunities to get multi-inning relief appearances and build up their innings. And they get to do it against big league hitters. 

Especially with no minor leagues to start.  

[NWINFan 483]

4 minutes ago, ptatc said:

Not going to happen. The average starts across the league the last 2 years has creeper down to close to 5. The analytics say the strikeout is the best way so nearly every pitcher is sacrificing control to get more velocity.

You're probably right, but it should happen. Save arms, save bullpens, get outs. Then again, you need a defense. The great pitching staffs of the Orioles in the Seventies had a great defense behind them. Why was Adam Eaton signed?

[fathom 6,286]

1 minute ago, NWINFan said:

You're probably right, but it should happen. Save arms, save bullpens, get outs. Then again, you need a defense. The great pitching staffs of the Orioles in the Seventies had a great defense behind them. Why was Adam Eaton signed?

Because Tony and others thought they were too soft last year.  

[ptatc 1,624]

Just now, NWINFan said:

You're probably right, but it should happen. Save arms, save bullpens, get outs. Then again, you need a defense. The great pitching staffs of the Orioles in the Seventies had a great defense behind them. Why was Adam Eaton signed?

I totally agree with you. However, it's just not reality in the game today. Once enough starters get injured and bullpen guys blow too many games maybe something will change