Gio Gonzalez Takes a Different Approach
Through his first eleven starts of the season, Gio Gonzalez averaged about five and a half strikeouts per game. Although he had struck out 190 batters or more three times in his career, Gonzalez changed his approach in 2016. He no longer tried to force swings-and-misses, but just focused on keeping the ball down in the zone to produce more groundballs.
Thursday evening, he ran into trouble for the fourth straight start. After allowing three runs to cross the plate in the first inning, something clicked in the back of Gonzalez’s mind. He returned to his former self, striking out five of the next eight hitters he saw. Gonzalez would go on to strike out five more, setting a season-high 10 whiffs.
According to Brooks Baseball, Gio turned to his curveball 26.7 percent of the time last night, nearly seven percent higher than his season average. It was his go-to strikeout pitch, as seven batters went down swinging at the mercy of his curve. When Gonzalez was a strikeout pitcher, he was well-known for that curve. It appears that he brought it back after offenses began to figure him out.
Gio began the year allowing only ten earned runs in his first 53.1 innings (1.86 ERA). In his next three outings, Gonzalez gave up 18 runs in only 15.2 (10.34 ERA). After working closely with pitching coach Mike Maddux to develop into a groundball pitcher, it appears the Nats’ lefty reverted to his former self. Whether or not that shift is permanent, it will be interesting to see which approach he takes in his next start.
Next: Michael Taylor to the Minors?