Jose Quintana has been one of the most reliable starters in MLB over the last five seasons, but he’s looking nothing like the pitcher for whom Eloy Jimenez, Dylan Cease, and company were traded. After Monday’s shellacking, Quintana’s ERA is a disgusting 5.23 ERA and his FIP is a nauseating 5.03 through eight starts (41.1 IP).
Ugh, what is going on here?
The easiest thing to point out Quintana’s 11.2 percent walk rate (4.57 BB/9), which, yes, is part of the problem. But that doesn’t reveal the whole picture. Quintana’s sudden lack of command has yielded far too much hard contact in addition to the walks.