McAdam: Rick Porcello suddenly having trouble throwing strikes

Even when things haven't always gone his way on the mound, Rick Porcello could, in the past, be counted on to throw strikes.

In his Cy Young Award-winning season in 2016, he averaged a mere 1.3 walks per nine innings. Even in 2017, when he led the league in losses, he allowed just 2.1 walks per nine.

But in a season in which very little has gone right for the Red Sox entire starting rotation, Porcello suddenly is incapable of throwing the ball over the plate. He walked five in four-plus innings in the Sox' 9-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday. It marked just the second time in 310 career starts he had walked as many as five in a single outing.

Of the five batters Porcello walked, just one came around to score. But the other four extended innings and resulted in him leaving after recording just a dozen outs despite 91 pitches thrown.

Still, this hardly seemed like an aberration for Porcello -- at least this season. In three starts to date, all losses, he's walked a total of 12 in 11.1 innings pitched.

What in the name of Daisuke Matsuzaka is going on here?



"I'm battling right now and I'm definitely not where I want to be,'' said a downcast Porcello. "I've got to keep working and get there and get there quick. I can't keep going out there and rolling out starts like this. I'm only hurting our team and I've got to do a better job.

"I'm battling through mechanics and stuff like that. I'm not in the spot where I need to be to execute pitches consistently. I was digging myself a hole by falling behind with curveballs and changeups and not executing those pitches.''

Porcello understood there was work to be done earlier this week and worked in side session to fix his tempo and mechanics. He recognized he was rushing with his delivery and thus, not getting himself in a consistent spot for his release.

But knowing it's a problem and fixing it are two different things, as Porcello discovered. Bad habits can form quickly and be difficult correct in-game.

"I know what I need to do,'' he said. "It's just a matter of going out there and doing it. Sometimes, your body gets caught in a pattern and you fight through that. It's very frustrating (to have control issues) and it's only compounded the struggles to this point.''

It would be one thing for Porcello if he couldn't command a particular pitch. At least then, he could adjust accordingly and throw other pitches in his repertoire for the time being. But it's not that simple, as Porcello noted.

"It's all of them,'' he confessed. "Curveball, changeup, four-seamer. ... Your game plan falls apart out there -- sequences, everything.''

Immediately after speaking with reporters, Porcello could be seen watching video of his start.

Pitching coach Dana LeVangie had advised some early movement with Porcello's hands to provide some momentum in his delivery in order to be on time for his release more consistently.

"I thought he did a great job leading up (to Saturday),'' LeVangie said. "At times (during the start), he was holding onto the ball a bit longer, causing the front side to leak a little bit early, (resulting in a loss of) control within the strike zone a little bit.''

LeVangie praised Porcello for his work ethic and willingness to listen and learn. That work will continue Sunday in an effort to smooth over the pitcher's mechanics, with an aim toward far better control in his next start later in the week.

"Rick's been a pretty consistent pitcher throughout his career,'' LeVangie said. "We expect him to get back to that.''

LeVangie also noted that the team's plan to slowly bring the starters along in spring training may have contributed to the lack of control.

"It's a little bit of a learning curve,'' he acknowledged. "(The starters) are trying to get back to being starters who can give us innings and they're trying to feel it out a little bit. We're making adjustments here and there and I think once we hit it, we'll be fine.''

With the losses piling up and the bullpen being pushed to its limits because of a lack of length on the part of the rotation, the sooner the Red Sox find a solution, the better.