It's the same question I asked my baseball buddies yesterday. Duffey counts on hitters chasing his first pitch curve balls which are too far outside. From there it's an uphill battle. His catcher must see it.
Their hitters punished our pitchers' mistakes. Why don't ours? Watching Kepler swing at two balls in the dirt and then taking a called strike 3 right down the middle of the plate befuddled me. (Previous game) I miss James Rowson.
Larnach is slow footed. But he thinks he is fast. Does not run the bases well. Makes poor choices. He does not set himself up for throws after the catch is made. He throws to the wrong base. Nothing impressive about his arm. Holes in his swing that are being exploited over and over. It's been a while since I have seen him barrel one up.
Way more to criticize than to be hopeful for. He shows little sign of progressing or learning.
And I am being patient.
I have high hopes for our two rookies. Lots of patience. They need to demonstrate some improved smarts. Experience is the teacher. But they need to learn. I am hopeful and excited. Larnach's series against the Tigers was brutal. Let's see how he resets himself after this break.