New York Mets southpaw, Steven Matz struggled through five innings as he took the loss to the Cubs. Chicago defeated Matz and the Mets by a score of 5-1.
Matz allowed four runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out five. His command kept his pitch-count high and disallowed him from going deep into the game.
“I’m battling, battling, battling and then I make one mistake,” Matz said. “It seems like that’s kind of what’s been going on with me here the past five starts or so. I’ve just got to have better focus when the big hitters are up in the lineup.” (MLB.com)
Matz had stated that the bone spur continued to be a non-issue for him, but his command betrayed him in Monday’s loss. Manager, Terry Collins has noticed that his rookie starter has been prone to mistakes as of late.
“I’m noticing mistakes,” Collins said. “It’s about making pitches. When you face quality hitters like those guys … you’ve got to make pitches. You’ve got to make them chase.”
After starting the season 7-1, Matz has now faltered quite a bit as Monday’s loss brought his record down to 7-6. His ERA has risen to 3.56 while his WHIP sits at 1.26. Matz had allowed 8 HR in his first 17 starts over 102 innings. He’s now yielded 7 HR in his last 6 spanning just 34.2 innings.
His inability to stay away from mistakes combined with a lack of control has hurt Matz. It could possibly be him pitching differently due to the bone spur, although he vehemently denies this. He continues to pitch through the pain while putting off surgery until the offseason.
