2. The back end of the rotation and bullpen remains an issue.
Chase Anderson and Matt Moore didn’t work out. Currently, both are out of the starting rotation — replaced by Vince Velasquez and Spencer Howard.
Velasquez was pitching quite well results-wise until his Cincinnati Reds performance on Memorial Day — when he gave up six earned runs in three innings. Velasquez is walking more than five batters per 9 innings, and teams’ BABIP against him is just .228. In other words, Velasquez was getting very lucky and we could soon see some regression, as he did against the Reds.
Howard is a weird case. His biggest struggle might be managing his velocity. Against the Boston Red Sox, the right-hander was great to start, but then his velocity later dropped to concerning levels. He said he couldn’t get his heart rate down after running to first base, but there could be something bigger.
Howard may want to start using his offspeed pitches more, as he is throwing his fastball 72 percent of the time. While it is his best pitch, he should really start mixing things up so he doesn’t become too predictable later in starts. Howard throws his changeup 13 percent of the time, slider 11 percent, and curveball 4 percent. An uptick in these would be smart for now and later in his career if he wants to remain a starter.
Another guy who could be in the running for a chance is Ranger Suarez, who has been used only in the bullpen this year — and has performed very well. Suarez hasn’t given up an earned run yet across 12 innings of work. He has been in the running for a starter spot before, so maybe he ends up getting the ball in the rotation soon.
This is all something to keep an eye on if Spencer or Vinny doesn’t work out.