Ryne Nelson allows 8 runs in 1st inning of loss to Blue Jays: ‘Not gonna let one start define me’
Diamondbacks pitcher Ryne Nelson says, "I'm not gonna let one start define me," after allowing eight runs to Blue Jays.
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PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ryne Nelson failed to get out of the first inning on Sunday, as he allowed eight runs to the Toronto Blue Jays before manager Torey Lovullo mercifully took the ball way.
The first seven Blue Jays batters recorded hits, while the first eight reached base. Both tied a Toronto franchise record, per MLB researcher Sarah Langs.
Arizona (13-9) entered Sunday’s game looking to earn a series sweep but fell 10-4.
“Weird one,” Nelson said. “Game can be pretty unkind to you at times. I felt like we were one or two balls going a foot or so in the other direction away from getting out of it and then hopefully being able to go out there and throw some quality innings, but it didn’t go that way. I think just stick to my process and get ready for the next one.”
The disastrous start provided a sense of deja vu from Brandon Pfaadt’s eight runs with no outs recorded in a start last May against the Washington Nationals. The Diamondbacks rallied to make that game somewhat interesting by scoring seven runs before losing 11-7.
Nelson joined Pfaadt as the only two pitchers in D-backs history to allow eight runs while recording one or fewer outs.
It has surprisingly happened to some really good pitchers in the past, including Felix Hernandez in 2015, Madison Bumgarner in 2011 and even Fergie Jenkins in 1980, according to Stathead.
Nelson had been throwing the ball well, too. He delivered 11 innings with two earned runs and 12 strikeouts over his previous two outings.
But his ERA on Sunday leaped from 3.54 to 6.97.
And it happened quickly.
The Blue Jays were on the attack in early counts, and Nelson gave them enough fastballs in the strike zone to take advantage of that aggression. Nathan Lukes went 2-for-2 with the bases-clearing double that ended Nelson’s afternoon.
The series of events unfolded as followed: Single, double, single, single, single, single, double, walk, strikeout, double.
“I went back and watched it and there were a few over the heart of the plate, but there were still some balls on the edge that got put in play,” Nelson said.
“I’m not gonna let one start define me and go down a rabbit hole of a million different things you can think about after a start like that. I’m just gonna trust myself and trust what I do.”
Andrew Hoffmann entered the game to finish the first inning, with Pfaadt (ironically) in the bullpen and prepared to take on bulk innings.
Pfaadt was very effective, too, as he delivered 6.1 frames with one earned run to save the rest of the bullpen.
The Diamondbacks outscored the Blue Jays 4-2 and out-hit Toronto 10-6 for the rest of the game, even though much of it was “garbage time.”
Jorge Barrosa hit his first home run of the year, Ildemaro Vargas extended his hitting streak to 15 games to start the season (18 games dating back to last year) and Adrian Del Castillo stayed hot with two hits, including an RBI double.
Ketel Marte insisted on staying in the game when Lovullo took some other starters out.
Corbin Carroll left the game with low back tightness, but he and Lovullo expressed confidence he will be in the lineup on Tuesday, when the D-backs start a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.
The Diamondbacks clinched the series win over Toronto on Saturday with a 6-2 victory and are riding a four-series winning streak.
“Those are the little things that will make this a good day for me to go home and say, ‘We won a series outside of the three outs in the first inning,'” Lovullo said. “I can live with that and we’ll be fine.”
First pitch on Tuesday is at 6:40 p.m. MST on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
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Comments
12 Comments
There are days that a pitcher doesn't have it. Nelson had one of those days! A good manager would yank the pitcher. Nelson should have been pulled once the score was 3-0...waiting until the score was 8-0 was too late.
That was surprising, given how well Nelson has pitched. He was throwing hard and had good velocity, but everything was in the middle of the plate. It happens. The Dbacks have been playing well. They need to flush it, take the off day, and bounce back vs the W Sox on Tues. Tip of the hat to Pfadt who pitched 6+ innings of one run ball and saved the bullpen. I hope Carroll’s back isn’t serious.
You may be right but I think that Nelson is a starter...give him a few more starts and see his performance. Last season, he was the best starter with a 3.39 ERA by the end of season. Whereas, Gallen and Pfaadt were in the group of the nine worst starting pitchers in the MLB. E-Rod would have made that dubious club if he pitched a few more innings.
Who is a starter? Pfaadt with a lifetime ERA of 5.16? He was the worst starter on the Dbacks last season. Last fall, the talking heads on Bickley & Marotta compared the stats of E-Rod and Pfaadt since E-Rod joined the Dbacks....E-Rod had the better stats.