STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- It really doesn't get much worse for a pitcher than what Chris Archer went through Tuesday against the Braves.
Four out of his five home runs allowed came on fastballs. Technically, three were four-seam fastballs, while two were sinkers.
My very first edition of Mound Visit here at DK Pittsburgh Sports detailed the need for Archer's fastball to be better. Going into the season, this is how I appraised Archer's straight heat:
An already bad pitch has gotten worse in 2019. As of this writing, 158 starting pitchers in Major League Baseball have thrown at least 50 or more fastballs of any kind, shape, bent or ilk. Archer has the 14th highest slugging percentage against those pitches with a .648 clip.
How did Archer's fastball find another layer of ineptitude?
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