As our editor and my co-writer Cody Poage mentioned, the first inning is not always Keuchel’s best. The Astros‘ bearded southpaw produced plenty of ground ball outs, but the timing was unfortunate. Below are my reasons why the first inning was the toughest for Keuchel.
Location, Location…Location
Two important factors determine Keuchel’s success, that is location and deception. However, neither worked in the first inning. He allowed 5 earned runs in the first. When he went inside on hitters, the pitches didn’t seem to break further into them. At times, it appeared pitches were moving back to the heart of the plate.