Quintana’s Rebound Start Comes At Opportune Time

Paul Blackburn‘s injury has sent ripples through the Mets’ pitching roster. Despite solid performances from pitchers like Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, and David Peterson, the team needs all hands on deck. Jose Quintana, who has struggled recently, may show signs of a comeback after a difficult August.

Quintana has had a rough month, posting an 8.27 ERA in August, yielding at least four earned runs in all three starts entering San Diego. His last outing against the Orioles saw him give up seven earned runs in five innings, including two home runs. He allowed four homers over his previous three starts, pushing his ERA from 3.95 to 4.57.

In the Baltimore game, Quintana threw 90 pitches, primarily relying on his fastball and sinker. This over-reliance caused his other pitches, like his changeup and curveball, to miss the zone frequently. Only 38 of his 90 pitches hit the strike zone, leading to eight hits and seven earned runs, a reflection of his lack of control that night. Although six of those pitches were hard hit, two were home runs against.

However, Quintana bounced back on Sunday, delivering a much stronger performance despite not recording a strikeout. After struggling with a 9.19 ERA over his last three starts, he managed to navigate through the first inning with a leadoff infield single and a double play. Although he allowed a double to Manny Machado in the second inning, he successfully stranded the runner with a series of groundouts.

Quintana didn’t allow another baserunner until he walked Machado in the fourth inning, carefully pitching around him to face Jake Cronenworth. He then induced an inning-ending grounder, completing four scoreless innings on 52 pitches.

He continued to pitch effectively into the sixth and seventh innings, ultimately leaving the game with a line of 6 1/3 innings pitched, four hits, no runs, two walks, and 95 pitches. According to Inside Edge, Quintana became the first pitcher since 2017 to record 19+ outs in an outing without allowing an earned run or recording a strikeout. He induced 14 groundball outs, his highest in a single game since 2015.

Baseball Savant noted that in this outing, Quintana effectively mixed his pitches better, incorporating his changeup and curveball more frequently alongside his fastball and sinker. This adjustment significantly improved his control and location, which kept San Diego batters on edge all game and only allowed five hard-hit balls against him all afternoon.

Of the 22 balls put into play, only five were hard hit, while 17 were not. He induced 13 groundballs, three line drives, three fly balls and two popups. Quintana also worked the corners more in the plate, staying outside from right-handed batters and pitching inside to lefties. In his Baltimore start, his pitches were focused in the top and bottom of the strike zone, leading to more damage.

Quintana’s improved control within the strike zone on Sunday resulted in a stellar performance on the mound. Although the Mets ultimately lost the game, Quintana’s strong outing against a team in the Wild Card race is a promising sign that he might turn the corner after a challenging August.

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