It was another daytime drama for Jose Berrios on Wednesday, and this one was the worst yet. Three of Berrios' past four starts have come in the summer sunshine, and he hasn't lasted five innings in any of them.
Berrios gave up seven hits, walked two and hit a batter, all while recording only 11 outs, his shortest start since April. The Pirates inflated his daytime ERA to 4.91; it's 2.79 at night.
Coincidence or trend? Manager Paul Molitor wants to know.
"We'll do a little due diligence. We all know how hard he works and how he crushes it between starts, and we'll see if there's any connection to it being later in the year. Maybe find a way to balance his workload," Molitor said. "It could be just a matter of, he's not feeling quite right — not physically, but whether his arm is trailing. Some mechanical things can get out of whack over the course of the season."
Berrios, who allowed a home run to Elias Diaz, breaking a streak of 30 homer-free innings at Target Field since June 19, said he's starting to wonder, too.
"There's something going on with me, and I'm not quite sure why this happens during day games," he said. "I kind of felt like they knew what I was going to throw."
Berrios' next start is scheduled for Monday against the White Sox — a 6:10 p.m. start.
