PITTSBURGH — Jeff Locke had a “frustrating” day on Thursday.
The Pirates’ left-hander had been cruising through a stretch of strong starts that started on April 25 in Denver, Colorado. That day, his ERA was 7.24. Over the next eight starts, Locke allowed more than three runs only twice. Three times he pitched seven innings, and in Miami on May 30, he threw a complete-game shutout.
When he took the hill in Denver again Thursday, his ERA had fallen to 4.28.
Just 4.2 innings and 11 runs later, much of that work has been undone, as his season-long mark now sits at 5.