The season hasn’t started off smoothly for Houston Astros pitcher Jake Odorizzi.
The right-hander could only face eight hitters on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels.
Granted, the Angels are MLB’s top offense by runs scored (65) in the early going, but the Astros expect their starters to be competitive, and Odorizzi failed to do that.
He had no control of the strike zone: according to MLB.com’s beat writer for the Astros Brian McTaggart, these were his at-bats yesterday: Walk, single, walk, walk, single, strikeout, strikeout, walk.
He threw 42 pitches (20 balls, 22 strikes).
Jake Odorizzi is done after facing 8 hitters in his third start of the season:
Walk
Single
Walk
Walk
Single
Strikeout
Strikeout
WalkHe threw 42 pitches (20 balls, 22 strikes)
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) April 20, 2022
To sum up: Odorizzi didn’t make it out of the first inning Wednesday, walked four and wound up allowing six runs — three earned — while getting only two outs.
Odorizzi Has An Ugly 9.00 ERA To Open The Season
As a result, Odorizzi has pitched nine innings over three outings this season, with nine earned runs allowed.
For those keeping score at home, that’s a 9.00 ERA, an unsustainably high number for a starter on a contending team.
The Astros can probably afford to give him at least a couple of extra starts to see if he can regain his rhythm, but they do have an enticing alternative to plug on their rotation in Cristian Javier.
Javier was one of the best pitchers on the Astros’ roster last year in the postseason.
He has the arsenal to start games, and could be a better option than Odorizzi at this point.
As a result, Odorizzi may be running out of time to keep his rotation spot if he doesn’t turn it around.
The next couple of outings will be crucial in determining his future: one or two more stinkers, and he may find himself demoted to the bullpen.
NEXT: Astros Officially Declare Jose Altuve's Injury Status
Brad Phillips says
he has never pitched well unless facing a subpar team . we need to cut ties and move on.