Toronto Blue Jays’ Alec Manoa (25) hasn’t gotten out of his shocking slump.
Manoa took the loss against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on April 26, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and five walks with six strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.
Manoa, who has followed Hyun-jin Ryu to Toronto since the latter’s arrival in 2020, is 26-14 with a 3.03 ERA in 62 career major league games (362 innings). In his first two seasons in the big leagues in 2021, Manoa was 25-9 with a 2.60 ERA in 51 games (308 1/3 innings), but has struggled this season, going 1-5 with a 5.53 ERA in 11 games (53⅔ innings).
“It’s one thing for Toronto to be in last place in the American League East (26-25), but it’s another thing entirely to see Manoah struggle to break out of a slump,” MLB.com noted.
After a solid 5⅔-inning, two-run outing in Baltimore on April 21 that had many hoping for a rebound, Manoa disappointed everyone by falling apart once again.
“I’m trying not to be too perfect,” Manoa said. If you try to throw too perfect, then you realize that you’re going to get hit by two balls. Then you try to throw a more perfect pitch and the result is a grounder. I just need to battle the hitters,” he said. 메이저놀이터
According to MLB.com, “Manoa is walking 6.37 batters per nine innings. That’s by far the worst rate among pitchers who have pitched at least nine innings this season. Mackenzie Gore (Washington) is 71st out of 72 pitchers who have pitched in regulation at 4.76. His WHIP (walks allowed per inning) of 1.79 is the worst among league starters. His 19.08 pitches per inning are the most of any pitcher in regulation. His ERA is the fifth-worst in the league.” Tampa Bay also stole seven bases on the day, harassing Manoa and the Toronto pitching staff. “We have to figure out what Tampa Bay was doing,” Manoa reflected.
MLB.com noted, “In two months, Toronto has a lot of work to do. Manoa, a proven major league pitcher, will eventually regain his form. But life in the American League East is getting dimmer and dimmer,” noting that Manoa needs to rebound quickly.