Pedro Strop, earlier this season some considered him the best set up man in baseball has had a rough August and September to put it kindly.
August 11 IP 5 Earned runs, 5 BB, 9 hits 4.09 ERA... What stands out to me is walks + Hits + more than one runner per inning.
September 1.2 IP, 3 earned runs, 5 BB, 4 hits, 16.20 ERA....again way to many baserunners.
Seems to me he is not missing the zone horribly, however his pitches have so much movement it is hard for the catcher to catch the ball with the glove in the horizontal position or in a natural position. So effectively he is getting less of t he "on the black" calls. Pitching behind in the count allows the batters to sit on his fastball.
If I were Buck I would use him very selectively for a couple of weeks to see if he can find the zone without finding so many bats. We have plenty of arms we can use in the 8th inning since the September call ups. There is no need to continue to place him in those tough games, or to bring him into a situation where there is already runners on base.
Essentially I would give him a break so he is fresh for the last couple 7-10 days of the season.
