The Michael Lorenzen who took the mound at Citizens Bank Park late Wednesday afternoon bears a striking resemblance to the fellow who, just two weeks earlier, had introduced himself to his new fan base by fashioning the 14th no-hitter in Phillies franchise history.
Same tall, skinny frame. Same long, stringy hair. Same mustache. Same righthanded delivery. Even the same No. 22 on the back of his home Phillies jersey.
Okay, yeah, they’re the same guy.
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But they sure haven’t been the same pitcher.
When Lorenzen was acquired from the Tigers at the August 1 trade deadline, he was coming off a July in which he had a 1.14 earned run average. In his first Phillies start he gave up two runs in eight innings. In the next, his first at CBP, he no-hit the Nationals.
Now, logic suggests that this level of excellence wasn’t going to be sustainable indefinitely. At the same time, the dramatic pendulum swing that has occurred since hardly seemed inevitable, either.
In two subsequent starts, he’s 0-1 with a 10.00 earned run average. That includes a laborious six innings in Wednesday’s 8-6, 10-inning loss to the Giants during which he allowed 11 baserunners on three walks and eight hits, including homers by San Francisco first baseman Wilmer Flores and shortstop Paul DeJong.
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“He wasn’t quite as sharp,” said manager Rob Thomson. “Missing spots. Not getting ahead like he normally does and not being able to finish off innings.”
Lorenzen, a reliever earlier in his career, has already surpassed his career high for innings pitched. Thomson was asked if that could be a factor. “It could be, but he’s big and strong and really takes care of his body,” the manager said. “So I’m not really concerned about him.”
Is it also possible that this could be a hangover from the no-hitter when he threw 124 pitches, in part because the schedule set up so that he could get eight days rest afterward?
“Usually there is for guys who do something like this and their pitch count goes way up,” Thomson said. “That’s why I worry about those things when they’re going on. A lot of times that’s a factor. But, again, I think he’ll snap out of it.”
Said Lorenzen: “I felt pretty good physically. I felt like my velocity was OK. I might have been throwing through the changeup a little bit because my arm felt kind of live. I feel pretty good. I just need to stay sharp with my skills and do what I’ve been doing all year and don’t deviate.
“Trust your process, trust your plan and trust that it’s going to work out.”
As unsightly as his line was, it could have been much worse. Giants rightfielder Michael Conforto led off the second with a base hit but was erased on a double play. San Francisco had a run in and bases loaded with two outs in the third, but Lorensen got Conforto to fly out, sidestepping further damage. He also stranded runners on first and second in the fifth.
UP NEXT
After Thursday’s open date, the Phillies will play the Cardinals in a weekend series at Citizens Bank Park. The matchups: Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (6-9, 4.45) vs. LHP Cristopher Sanchez (1-3, 3.36) Friday at 7:05; RHP Dakota Hudson (5-0, 3.95) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (9-6, 3.70) Saturday at 7:15 and LHP Drew Rom (0-1, 14.73) vs. Aaron Nola (11-8, 4.49) Sunday at 1:35.
