Robles

[Frayed Knot]

It's hard to remember now but there was a time long ago--way back on May 10 to be precise--when Hansel was rolling right along with a 1.42 ERA and just 11 hits/1 HR allowed in 19 innings pitched.
His walks were a bit high at 9, but that's against 20 Ks and it still pushed his WHIP at the time to just a bit over 1.00

Since that date he's appeared in 4 ML games (May 13, 15, & 21st, plus last night) faced a total of 22 batters and retired 8 of them.
He has more hits (10) and XBHs (9) allowed than he does outs recorded and as many walks as strikeouts (4 each).
The fact that his ERA only jumped from that 1.42 to its current 6.45 is due to not being charged with all the inherited runs he allowed to score (5 of 6) and his getting credit for 3-1/3 innings pitched
in those four games rather than 2-2/3 thanks to the two outs he got due to runners caught stealing on his watch. Why run on him when you can just wait a few pitches and walk home?



I know that relief pitchers tend to be mercurial and that small samples often exaggerate the highs and lows, but how a guy goes from a solid set-up man to worst pitcher in the western hemisphere
in the blink of an eye is a total mystery

[MFS62]

Maybe he's tipping his pitches and the other teams have finally figured out his "tell".

Later

[Lefty Specialist]

Wasn't exactly tearing it up in Vegas, with a 5.79 ERA and 14 walks in 23.1 innings.

[Edgy MD]

Sure, but you tend to rebound from the minor league callups on what you've done lately, with teams attributing failures in your initial results to whatever bad habits got you sent down. He'd been scoreless in his previous five games, covering seven innings.

But now it's back to Kaboomtown.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Last night the Mets went down counting on two sudden recoveries from guys who have been struggling for too long. I'd have never brought in Robles with 2 on and the game getting away, even though the 2 were not his mess, and as mentioned elsewhere Cespedes completely gakking the 3-and-0 pitch -- he did everything wrong.

The Magic is not back. If it was, both of those things become emotional building blocks.

I'd swap Cespedes and Doodoo in the batting order for a couple days.

[Farmer Ted]

I would have felt better if this was a Memories of Robles Thread.

[Edgy MD]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Last night the Mets went down counting on two sudden recoveries from guys who have been struggling for too long.

I agree with this. That's on the boss.

[Frayed Knot]

Tipping pitches is the first conclusion folks go to whenever a pitcher struggles, at least in part because it's the easiest and least painful 'solution' to imagine.
I suspect it's also the wrong one at least 95% of the time.

[ashie62]

Maybe Robles would prosper with another organization.

[duan]

I feel strongly compelled to defined Robles. He's been good in large stretches with a few bumps in the road. That's not that unusual
Who's No 1 in his Sim Score on BREF - Joe Smith.. another mets reliever who had some wobbles on the way to a very good Major league career.

[Frayed Knot]

duan wrote: I feel strongly compelled to defined Robles. He's been good in large stretches with a few bumps in the road. That's not that unusual.

What's unusual is that this disaster came seemingly out of nowhere and that this 'bump' is Everest-sized.
I mean two baserunners allowed/inning would be bad enough, but he's been just shy of two baserunners per out recorded over the last four outings and was barely better during his stint in AAA.
And when nine of the ten hits have been for XBs (5 2Bs + 4 HRs) it's not like he's been unlucky and is merely getting burned by cheapies.