The blister impacted the finish of Jake Odorizzi’s pitches. He said his cutter suffered...
Odorizzi’s effort is noble considering Houston’s current conundrum. The team does not have an off day until Aug. 9 and is already operating with a short bullpen due to the six-man rotation. Odorizzi’s blister appeared in the second inning. Asking relievers to cover the final seven is an invitation for disaster.
At the very least, Odorizzi put his team in a better position to avoid one. The Astros used only two relievers after he exited — Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek. Both threw fewer than 25 pitches. Neither is likely to be available on Tuesday, but Héctor Neris, Rafael Montero and closer Ryan Pressly will. The blister impacted the finish of Odorizzi’s pitches. The wound begins in the middle of his finger and curves around the nail, making any pitch he throws with the inside of his finger a problem. Odorizzi said his cutter suffered most. His slider and splitter did not move down or away enough to fool Oakland’s hitters. Six of the A’s nine starters on Monday were righthanded, the sort of lineup Odorizzi’s slider could be very useful against. Instead, it became a liability.
The trouble arrived against a lineup far too familiar with Odorizzi’s arsenal. He faced the A’s during each of his two previous starts. Oakland entered the game well aware of Odorizzi’s pitch shapes and how his stuff moves. They sensed a problem after the second inning and got into swing mode. Former Astro Tony Kemp started the third with a solo home run against a flat cutter.
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