For the second straight start, Robert Gsellman was absolutely lit up by the opposing offense, this time the Dodgers Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
In 4.1 innings, the righty gave up eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits and three walks, managing to strike out two. He allowed four home runs (two to Corey Seager, one to Cody Bellinger, and one to Yasmani Grandal) en route to tallying one in the loss column.
“I’ve just been getting my butt kicked out there,” Gsellman said after the game. “I haven’t been executing pitches. The batters are just too comfortable up there.”
That sentiment is backed up by his poor performance in his last two starts. In his last two starts (9.1 innings), he has allowed 14 earned runs on 20 hits and five walks, mustering only five strikeouts. Before those two starts he had won the three prior, allowing only three earned runs across 19.0 innings pitched.
It has been a tale of two Gsellman’s this season. His starts have either been very good or very bad with little in-between. Interestingly, as is the case with Jacob deGrom, Gsellman is particularly effective during day games. This season in day games he is 2-0 with a 1.15 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched with opposing batters hitting only .161 off him while in night games he’s 3-4 with a 6.79 ERA in 53.0 innings pitched. Opposing batters have a disturbing .326 batting average against him during night games.
Overall, Gsellman is 5-5 with a 6.04 ERA in 73.0 innings pitched. As he said after last night’s game, he’s getting his butt kicked out there and something needs to change or else the Mets will need to make a change. That change, if needed, should probably be moving him to the bullpen where, in his career, he sports a 1.17 ERA in 7.2 innings pitched. The bullpen could certainly use the help.
