
Sometimes it takes a little while for a pitcher to get locked in.
Maybe he’ll have some bad starts early on in the season before turning things around at just the right time and beginning to dominate.
That could be said for Houston Astros‘ veteran right-hander Jake Odorizzi, who was off to a terrible start earlier this season, having allowed 12 runs in nine innings of work in his first three starts.
However, things appear to have changed for the starter.
After such a rough start, he appears to be locked in again.
In his past three starts, Odorizzi has gone 17.2 innings having allowed just one run.
Jake Odorizzi
First 3 starts: 9.0 IP, 12 runs allowed
Last 3 starts: 17.2 IP, 1 run allowed
— MLB Metrics (@MLBMetrics) May 8, 2022
Finally Back On Track
What a difference a few starts can make for a pitcher.
And what a funny game baseball can be.
Some days you have it.
Some days you don’t.
But Odorizzi appears to have flipped the script and switched gears.
The 32-year-old now has an ERA of 3.38 with a 3-2 record in his first six starts.
This is the Odorizzi we’re all accustomed to seeing.
He’s never been an ace, but he is somebody who’s durable and can give you some solid innings coverage.
He’s a veteran presence in a young but strong Houston rotation.
Sometimes even when you start bad, it doesn’t take too long to turn things around and get back on the right track.
Odorizzi seems to have subscribed to that theory with his recent string of dominance on the mound.
Again, he’s not an ace, but sometimes a pitcher can just get on a hot streak.
That’s what Odorizzi has done here, and when a pitcher gets hot, sometimes it’s hard to stop him.