Corey Knebel’s struggles are well-known. He was making it through games recently despite putting runners on base and being put in high-stress situations. But everything came to a boiling point on Thursday afternoon.
Knebel walked the first three hitters he faced, which were the 7-8-9 hitters in the Padres lineup, and had the bases loaded with nobody out. A swinging bunt allowed a run to score, and then Knebel was pulled.
But the runners he allowed on came home to score on a Hunter Renfroe grand slam.
The curveball for Knebel is not working right now, making him a one-pitch pitcher, and that’s not a good sign.