“It’s hard.”
Alec Manoa (25, Toronto Blue Jays) rose to stardom after finishing third in the American League Cy Young voting in ‘Hope for Ryu Hyun-jin or Bubblegum’. He exemplifies the adage that it’s harder to get to the top than it is to stay there.
Manoa improved to 6-1 on the season, allowing two runs on three hits (one home run) with two strikeouts and three walks in four innings of work against the Milwaukee Brewers at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Monday. His season ERA is 5.46.안전놀이터
Manoa emerged as the best pitcher in the American League in 2022 with a 16-7 record and a 2.24 ERA in 31 games, but he hasn’t been as effective as the Toronto Aces this season. The day marked the end of the May schedule locally. Manoa is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in five April starts and 6.15 in five May starts.
He’s had a worse April than he did in 2022 and a worse May than he did in April. His BABIP went from 0.214 in April to 0.286 in May, and his WHIP went from 1.43 in April to 1.94 in May. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, but his command of the rest of his pitches is poor. His strikeout rate is higher than usual,
His fastball was sitting in the 92-93 mph range today, which isn’t bad, but he gave up leadoff singles in the first, second, and fourth innings. In the second, he gave up a leadoff double to Abraham Toro on a 92 mph fastball up the middle. In the third, William Contreras was hit by a pitch that violated the pitch clock. With runners on first and second in the fourth, he walked Bryce Turang, Victor Caratini and Joey Wilmer. He ended up throwing 89 pitches and did not return to the mound for the fifth inning.
Manoa seemed to be having trouble with his mind. MLB.com wrote, “Typically defiant, combative. You can hear the tension in his voice.” In fact, he told MLB.com, “It’s been tough. I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing. I have to keep fighting and find the positives.”