Ray posts big strikeout total again, but unravels in 5th
PHOENIX -- Robbie Ray had another big strikeout night on Tuesday. It shouldn't come as a surprise. It's the new normal.
But wins haven't fallen in line with the strikeouts of late and that trend also stayed true to form.
Ray's solid start against the Nationals was joltingly derailed by back-to-back home runs in a four-run fifth inning of an eventual 10-4 loss at Chase Field.
With his nine strikeouts -- half the outs he induced Tuesday -- Ray has 30 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings in his past three starts, yet is winless in each. His six innings against the Nationals was his longest outing in that stretch.
"It's frustrating," said Ray, whose 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings are third best in baseball. "I don't need to tell you that. You can see it on my face."
"I can't really explain it. ... We're going to figure it out."
Advanced stats will tell you Ray has been unlucky. Opponents .365 batting average on balls in play is not only well above league average but is the highest of qualifying pitchers. Ray said he doesn't feel unlucky.
The percentage of fly balls against him that end up as home runs has more than doubled from last season, when Ray sported a much more palatable ERA (3.52 compared to 4.83 this year) though with a smaller strikeout rate.
"His stuff is real good. It's top-end velocity; he's getting swings and misses," D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "He's getting the strikeouts but it's developing into a winning pitcher. It's part of the process of (being) a young pitcher, and (pitch) location.
"It's just the mistakes later in his outings. This guy is a knock-out pitcher who just has to continue to -- the strikeouts are great but they produce a lot of pitches. ... It's just when he gets a couple guys on, you cannot make that big mistake. Three-run homers are tough to come back against."
It was the home run that bit Ray against the Nationals.
Locked in a 2-2 game in the fifth -- after the first run against him was unearned -- Ray gave up a two-out single and then a walk before Wilson Ramos blasted a 1-2 slider deep into the left-field bleachers. Chris Heisey followed with a solo shot on a first-pitch fastball.
"I went back and looked at it and it was a good pitch to Ramos, wasn't even a strike," Ray said. "He reached out and just flicked it. I made the pitch I wanted to make. If it's an inch lower he probably swings over it. That's just the way it is."
The Nationals tacked on four runs against the D-backs bullpen, eliminating any chance of a late comeback.
"The relievers are having a hard time putting zeros on the board, and that's important when you're down," Hale said. "We have to limit the runs, have to do better."
It was the D-backs' sixth loss by at least five runs in their last 11 games. They were outscored by 30 runs during this three-game losing streak.
The 38 runs the D-backs gave up the last three games was eclipsed just once in franchise history, Sept. 21-23, 2002, according to STATS, Inc.
"It's just baseball but when you're struggling all the bad stuff gets highlighted," Ray said. "It's tough."
