Steven Matz returned from a left flexor pronator strain last night hoping to pick up where he had left off over his last two and a half months of growth. The results were unfortunate, to say the least.

Over two innings and 58 pitches, Matz was charged with six runs (four earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out two. As he failed to erase the disastrous start in Washington that had initially raised the red flag, Matz saw his ERA balloon to 4.60 – over a full run higher than where it sat a month prior. Since July 21, the lefty has allowed 20 runs in 13.2 innings (13.64 ERA), yielding a brutal .368/.427/.662 slash line, and the woes continued in an underwhelming return that, by some measures, could have been anticipated.

In terms of stuff, Matz didn’t get off to the worst start imaginable, as he snapped off his 94-95 mph fastball to contrast some sleek offspeed pitchers against his first set of hitters. Cesar Hernandez squared up on a good fastball inside, singling into left-center to open things before Matz struck out Wilson Ramos with a classic changeup on the outer half.

A missed strike call against Nick Williams threw Matz into a 3-2 showdown that ultimately ended with a dunk hit into left field, rather than a strikeout looking. From there, the wheels promptly fell off the bus, as Rhys Hoskins clubbed a three-run homer to sully the 2-0 lead Matz had been given in the opening turn. Against each of his first five hitters, Matz shelled out at least five pitches, ultimately finishing his first inning on a less-than-ideal 30 pitches.

The second inning presented Matz a chance to regain his composure and execute his pitches just as he had through his more effective starts in May and June. Unfortunately, he continued to slump into deep counts, this time even falling behind. Scott Kingery took a 2-1 changeup out of the yard to get things started, and while Roman Quinn‘s run was technically unearned, he effectively circled the bases on Matz’s dime.

Quinn initially reached on a tapper that the lefty threw wide of first base and proceeded to advance to second on a passed ball before stealing third. After a walk to Hernandez, Ramos singled on a hanging curveball. Now with Williams at first base thanks to a force out, the Phillies pulled off a double steal to make it a 6-2 ballgame. While not as urgent an issue as his general makeup and health, it should be noted that Matz’s 25 steals allowed remains atop the leaderboard among National League pitchers.

Throughout the night, Matz paced around the mound, evidently irked with the missed calls as well as the general slowness of his night that felt eerily reminiscent of his struggles in an injury-plagued 2017. Even after his mound visit with Devin Mesoraco, the frustration was easy to read. Matz hit Hoskins with a curveball down and in before inducing a lineout from Carlos Santana, thus concluding a final 28-pitch inning that saw 14 balls, 14 strikes, and another set of three runs.

“I just wasn’t really able to command any of my pitches. I didn’t have a really good feel out there today,” Matz told reporters following the team’s 9-6 loss – his 10th of the year. “I felt healthy, so I’m taking that as a positive. I just have a lot of work to do before I get back to where I was before the All-Star break… I feel like the stuff is there, it’s just the command that hurt me.”

It’s pretty much out of the question whether or not Matz’s command was the culprit in his disappointing return, but it’s also worth noting that prior to shutting down in 2017 with the ulnar nerve issue, Matz posted similar figures from the second half on: a 10.16 ERA, 2.10 WHIP, and .391/.440/.609 line are just some of the underpinning numbers that contributed to his season eroding.

Mickey Callaway has attributed his downfall to general “rustiness,” but for somebody who has rebounded from Tommy John surgery and missed months on separate occasions due to lat, elbow, and shoulder problems, Matz doesn’t seem the kind of pitcher to rust after two weeks on the sidelines. Hopefully, the lefty will be able to right the ship over the final seven weeks of the season and prove us wrong, but the overarching concern has yet to be mitigated given his most recent performance.