Triston McKenzie - Allows four in lossMcKenzie (5-9) allowed four runs on four hits and four walks with two strikeouts through four innings, taking the loss in Saturday's 7-2 defeat to the Rangers.ImpactMcKenzie battled his command Saturday, issuing the most walks he's allowed since June 12 and finding the zone with just 54 percent of his pitches. All of his runs came via the long ball too, with Willie Calhoun going yard for a solo shot in the first before Jonah Heim smacked a three-run shot in the fourth. McKenzie showed a ton of growth this season, but simply ran out of gas down the stretch. After being virtually unhittable through August and into September (1.76 ERA, 48:5 K:BB through seven starts), the lanky right-hander had a brutal 11.81 ERA and 9:8 K:BB in his last three outings. Still, at just 24 years old, McKenzie has oodles of upside and projects to grow into a more-than-serviceable rotation piece for Cleveland over the next few seasons.
OCTOBER 3, 2021•ROTOWIRE
