Frustrated Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler vows to fix his control issues after costly walks derail another outing.
PITTSBURGH -- Bubba Chandler was upset, so upset that the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander used the same phrase that is a euphemism for the word “angry,” repeatedly when he met with the media following Monday night’s game.
Chandler again struggled to control his pitches as the Pirates lost 5-0 to the San Diego Padres in the opener of a three-game series at PNC Park. Chandler walked four in 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs and five hits with four strikeouts.
That followed Chandler’s 4 1/3 no-hit innings with six walks last Tuesday in Cincinnati in his season debut. Pittsburgh overcame his wildness to win. But on Monday night, German Marquez and two relievers threw a seven-hit shutout. The Piates (6-4) had their five-game winning streak snapped.
“It’s piss poor,” Chandler said disgustedly after the game. “Hits are fine, it’s stuff that's going to happen, but not competing in the zone is just pathetic. It's eating at me, and I'm going to fix it, clean it up. I've got five more days before I throw again. It won't happen again.”Pittsburgh Pirates
So how will Chandler get back on track before facing the Cubs in Chicago on Sunday?
“It’s pretty simple stuff,” Chandler said. “Let them put it in play. Walks kill you. Singles really don't. Probability of four singles in a row is pretty low, but a walk, fastball, two walks and a single, you're probably scoring two. Just simplifying the game is something I'm not doing. Like I said, it's pissing me off and I'll fix it and get better.”
Walks were not a problem last season when Chandler made his major-league debut. He allowed just four bases on balls in 46 innings, one of the reasons why Baseball America ranked him as the game’s No. 14 prospect coming into spring training.
Pirates manager Don Kelly suggested Chandler may be putting extra pressure on himself. After Monday’s game, the normally upbeat Chandler was clearly frustrated.
“I think for Bubba, just continuing to work on that with his bullpens and the mentality he's got,” Kelly said when asked what Chandler needs to do to consistently throw strikes. “As we see with Bubba, he's got that fierce competitiveness in him. Finding a way to rein in those emotions, if you will, when you're out there. I have no doubt that he will."
Once Chandler vented, he put a positive spin on things.
“It's a long year,” Chandler said. “Feel great. It's kind of all you can ask for is, body's in a good spot. Doing everything I can every day to get out there and compete. Just got to get better.”
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