Dodgers' defeat by Braves sees Dustin May's troubles with his sweeper bearing a heavy price.
Rebel Yell: Dustin May's Sweeper Woes Haunt Dodgers in Loss to Braves
(No holds barred, raw take on Dustin May's struggles with his sweeper pitch and its impact on the Los Angeles Dodgers)
ATLANTA - Dustin May knew his sweeper would be crucial this season. "It's gonna be huge," the Dodgers' right-hander proclaimed earlier this spring. But Boy, was it ever a double-edged sword.
In his first three starts back from a near two-year absence, he gave up just two earned runs and looked like a beast out there. But in the three outings since? Not so much. And it all comes down to that darn sweeper.
Take Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Two bad sweepers to slugger Austin Riley? Sunk May.
In the first inning, he had two strikes on Riley before tossing up a sweeper over the plate. Boom, Two-run homer. In the third, another 1-1 count and a wide sweeper over the plate? Riley blasted another two-run homer.
"It's pretty frustrating," May admitted. "Giving up two homers to him on kinda the same pitch, not really how I drew it up."
But outside of those gaffes, May was alright. He went 5 2/3 innings, struck out six, and gave up no other runs. So what gives?
For a pitcher who's gone under the knife twice and drastically changed his arm angle, even a couple of mistakes can be disastrous. And as much as the Dodgers (23-11) might need someone else to step up alongside staff ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, May's recent regression has been the biggest disappointment.
In his last three outings, the 27-year-old has given up 14 runs in 16 innings. And with an inconsistent sweeper, success hasn't been guaranteed. "I think you can see how important it is," May said after giving up three runs to the Miami Marlins last Monday. "I still wasn't executing very well at all. I just got away with some stuff."
On Sunday against the Braves, it was a similar story, with May looking disappointed in himself after two poorly executed sweepers. Not exactly the 'big thing' he'd counted on for the whole year. "Ups and downs," May said of his opening month. "Couple good moments. Couple really bad ones. Definitely need to be more consistent."
Especially when it comes to using his sweeper as a game-changer. But as we all know, consistency's a bitch. And for May, that pesky sweeper just ain't behaving.
Got a hankering for more?
Murderball: Sheer Terror (A chilling, no-holds-barred exploration into the world of competitive, dangerous baseball)This Season, Lucchese Rules (An unfiltered, uncensored look at the rise of the Dodgers' tough-as-nails new pitcher, Julian Lucchese)Count Me Out:*(A searing, explicit account of one pitcher's tragic downfall due to his crippling reliance on a single, erratic pitch.)
- After two insufficient outings, Dustin May's troubles with the sweeper pitch continued as the Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
- The recurring issue was evident when two badly executed sweepers led to two-run homers by Austin Riley.
- Despite his imperfect sweeper, May managed to go 5 and 2/3 innings, striking out six, and conceding no additional runs.
- May's struggles with the sweeper pitch have been a significant disappointment for the Dodgers, who are searching for another reliable pitcher alongside staff ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
- Over his last three outings, May has given up 14 runs in 16 innings, pointing towards the importance of his sweeper as a game-changer.
- The inconsistent behavior of the sweeper has demonstrated that consistency can indeed be challenging, even for a pitcher as skilled as May.
