There are
two Matt Barneses pitching for the Boston Red Sox. There is home Matt Barnes
who has five wins and a 1.47 ERA. He has 40 strikeouts in 30.2 innings. He’s given
up only five earned runs on 19 hits and eight walks (0.88 WHIP). Then there is
away Matt Barnes.
Away Matt
Barnes has a 5.20 ERA in 27.2 innings. He’s given up 16 earned runs on 20 hits
and 18 walks (1.37 WHIP). He’s struck out only 25 batters.
Last night,
Barnes pitched effectively in a high-leverage situation. He was hitting corners,
striking Luke Voit and Randal Grichuk out on three pitches each when he entered
the game in the sixth inning. Seventeen of his 22 pitches were thrown for
strikes.
But then
there have been times this season on the road where Barnes hasn’t been effective
at all, leaving pitches up in the zone without any break. On August 13 against
the Yankees in New York, Barnes couldn’t hit the side of a barn, walking two
batters and allowing one hit and one run. There was a game in June against
Kansas City where Barnes was completely ineffective, walking two batters and
allowing two runs before getting the quick pull. On July 9 in Tampa, he threw 12 pitches, seven for balls, and lasted only one out after
walking one and allowing one hit.
It’s night
and day for Barnes between pitching at home and on the road.
There
really is no explanation for it either. MassLive sports quoted John Farrell as
saying he has talked to Barnes about it and that “Clearly, he’s comfortable on
the home mound.” I asked Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal during last night's game. He had no explanation other than a confidence thing.
Why now
though? Why this season? Last season, Barnes was actually better on the road.
He had a 1.28 WHIP on the road during the 2016 season along with a 3.64 ERA and
32 strikeouts in 29.2 innings. That compares to his 1.49 WHIP at home and a
4.38 ERA. 2015 was even more drastic. Away, Barnes had a 2.01 ERA in 22.1
innings. He had a 1.57 WHIP and batters hit .304 against him, but those numbers
look great compared to his home stats. At home, he had a 1.74 WHIP and a 9.15
ERA, giving up 21 earned runs on 28 hits in 15 games (two starts).
It raises
questions as to why all of a sudden he’s pitching so much better at home than
away. What makes it more comfortable? How does comfortability change his
deliverance?
It’s tough to see the team’s most vital pitcher
outside of Craig Kimbrel have so much trouble away. It makes me wonder how
Farrell will use him come playoff time. Will Barnes see time only at home? Will
he still get the eighth inning role away? In Game 7 of the ALCS? The World
Series? (Getting ahead of myself really).
For how dominant the Red Sox bullpen has
been this season, they’ve done so without a dominant setup man. Makes you
wonder how important the role really is and how the way bullpens are shaped in
today’s game…
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