PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – A former Pirates top overall prospect and pitching prospect, Bubba Chandler said he set his team up for failure in a 4.1 inning, five hit, three run, four walk, four strikeout game that led to a 5-0 loss to San Diego Monday night.
“Pretty bad, it’s piss-poor,” Chandler said. “Hits are fine, it’s stuff that’s going to happen, but not competing in the zone is pathetic. Very pissed off, I’m setting our team up for failure right now, guys having to come in from the pen a lot sooner than they should.”
“Stuff has got to get cleaned up.”
Manager Don Kelly noticed Chandler, who didn’t get help from a few sloppy plays on the bases and just overall a few misplayed balls throughout the night, was a little erratic. For Kelly it’s about Chandler reigning in his emotions, but after the game it was about letting some of that out.
Chandler said he feels great. The body is in a good spot and he promises to fix it. He said he will study tape to see if the problems are more mental or mechanical or a little of both.
He wasn’t pleased necessarily with the first outing of the season in Cincinnati, but he wasn’t as bothered by it because the team won. In that game Chandler also went 4.1 innings with no hits, a run and six walks with six strikeouts.
“I embarrassed myself,” Chandler said. “I embarrassed our boys, and killed us for the next two games because our bullpen had to come in there and clean up my crap. And that's just what eats at me.”
“I'm blessed and fortunate enough to have a good body, have a good arm. I should throw 6, 7, 8 innings every single time I go out there. Not doing that is just pissing me off.”
I've had two bad outings, and that's, it can't continue to roll over. Like a walk's fine. Two walks, they're okay. But you just can't continue to just — it's insanity trying to do the same thing over and expect different results and that's what I'm doing right now.”
“And like I said, it'll clean up.”
There were mistakes all around, Bryan Reynolds misplayed a ball in left field that went for a double, scoring a run. Yohan Ramirez dropped a grounder to himself that allowed a run to score. On the bases, Henry Davis was doubled up on a line drive. And a ball deflected into the outfield and confusion between third base coach Tony Beasley and Ryan O’Hearn led to an out instead of a run as Nick Gonzales rounded second and created the second out of the inning at home.
Don Kelly explains.
“The one play where O'Hearn was on second and Nick came around, Beasley didn't see the deflection,” Kelly said. “You've got Tatis in right field, who has an absolute cannon. Shorter in right field here at PNC, and he didn't see the deflection.”
“Nick (Gonzales) did while he was running so he kept on going, which is what we want our baserunners to do when they see that. Gotta keep our head up there too. We want our guys to be aggressive when they see stuff like that. Tough play right there.”
“And the double off with Henry was tough later. Just something we've been really good at in the early going is with the base running, good at-bats, playing pretty clean defense.”
“Just one of those nights tonight."
LISTEN to what young starter said of ‘pathetic’ performance
