Rick Porcello. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Having a problem with the home run ball isn't rare for Rick Porcello. He allowed a major league high 38 last year.
This season, though, the Red Sox righty started strong. Just eight dingers surrendered through 16 starts. In 10 since, 14 long-balls--including three last night.
Rick, what's goin' on?
"I think definitely part of it is mislocation, that’s always the first thing you look at,” he said. “You give guys opportunities to put the barrel on the ball, usually you’re pitching in the middle of the zone. I think that’s the biggest factor, and you’ve gotta continue to make adjustments. There’s so many things that guys have now, as far as iPads in the dugout, scouting reports, percentages on pitches you’re throwing, what you like to throw. You gotta mix it more now than ever, because those guys are going up there with it loaded in their mind. They don’t have to remember it from the last start the way it was a couple years ago. Now it's right there in front of them. You gotta be precise, you gotta continue to mix, continue change angles. I think that might be part of it, falling into some patterns. But pitches that they can hit out of the ballpark are hittable pitches--and I can do something about that, I can throw pitches that aren't hittable pitches."
Porcello's 15-6, but has a 5 ERA his last 19 starts.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) reports