Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Bubba Chandler had a difficult outing on Saturday, allowing four earned runs on three hits over three innings in a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The start lowered Chandler's season record to 1-5 with a 5.14 ERA across nine starts.
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The 23-year-old prospect, ranked by Baseball America as the No. 3 right-handed pitching prospect in baseball, has logged 42 innings this year with a 16.4% walk rate, according to FanGraphs.
Early Struggles
In the first inning, Chandler surrendered a three-run home run to Bryce Harper before recording an out.
The Phillies built a 5-0 lead by the second inning as Chandler threw over 60 pitches in the first two frames.
“They’re good players,” Chandler said of Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Harper. “I’ve watched them play for the last decade, and they’re all three really good.
Just soft, pitching away, just not being who I am.”
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Chandler's performance marked his shortest appearance of the season, prompting internal discussions about potentially optioning the 2021 third-round draft pick to Triple-A Indianapolis to regain confidence.
“It was a tough start there in the first couple of innings, throwing 60-some pitches in two innings,” said Pirates manager Don Kelly.
“To get him out after the third, it was just pitch count and volume, and he slipped on the mound there.
Just didn't want to push it there any further. We had enough to get through the game in the bullpen.”
The bullpen covered the remaining innings but could not spark a comeback. The Pirates will face the Phillies again on Sunday at 1:35 p.
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m. ET to avoid a series sweep.
