Tyler Glasnow Didn’t Have Feel For Stuff Against Reds

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, dropping the opening game of a four-game weekend series at Dodger Stadium.

Tyler Glasnow made his 10th start of the season and enterd the game as one of Major League Baseball’s best starting pitchers. Although he’s allowed just four earned runs in his last 28 innings, the right-hander surrendered a leadoff home run to Reds outfielder Will Benson.

He earned just his second loss of the season, and Glasnow mentioned that he didn’t have his best stuff or any feel on the mound.

“Yeah, just not a lot of rhythm, just kind of stiff today,” Glasnow said. “I think as the game went on, like later, I started to feel a little better. I just think leaving stuff out over the heart of the zone.”

He required 92 pitches to complete five innings on Thursday, allowing four earned runs on six hits. The Dodgers’ offense was also unable to find their own groove, scratching just two runs across.

Glasnow’s stuff wasn’t as much of an issue as his command, missing in the heart of the strike zone.

“I think that’s about right. You could see that he just didn’t have the command or the feel that he has during this run,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

“But you go to give those guys credit. They took good at-bats early, they got the pitch count up. They spoiled a lot of fastballs, you could tell they were on the fastball early. And he couldn’t land or get swing and miss early with his breaking ball.

“And Stephenson got a couple of hits with two outs, and then they had the wild pitch to score another run with two outs. And so certainly that was a difference in the ballgame. But yeah, it’s one of those things where you don’t have your best stuff, it’s still a really good big league ballclub over there.”

On the season, Glasnow still boasts a 2.90 ERA, 0.90 WHIP with 81 strikeouts in 62 innings. As it stands, he’s allowed a .179 batting average to opposing hitters.

Thursday’s troubled outing was only his second start when he allowed four runs or more, his last coming on April 15 against the Washington Nationals when he allowed six earned.

Where does Tyler Glasnow rank among top starting pitchers

Following his 10th start, Glasnow ranks 25th in MLB in ERA (2.90), while being tied for fourth among qualified starters in batting average allowed.

He leads the league in strikeouts by a decent margin, and has done a fairly decent job of limiting walks.

Glasnow leads the Dodgers and MLB in innings pitched.