After over half a season of near-masterful pitching, Ryan Vogelsong got battered and bruised to the tune of 9 hits, 8 earned runs, and 2 walks in just 2.2 innings of work on Monday night. Vogelsong (10-6) had been leading the NL in ERA among qualified players with a 2.27 ERA. One very rough outing later, he sits tied for third with a 2.72 ERA.
Though just one performance has toppled him from his perch, his overall statistics indicate that a regression to the mean was bound to happen at some point. Now tied for third with Kyle Lohse of the St. Louis Cardinals and R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets with ERAs of 2.72, he is almost exactly where he left off last season, when Vogelsong went 13-7 with a 2.71 ERA.
Jordan Zimmermann of the Washington Nationals now leads the NL in ERA with a mark of 2.35 while the Reds' Johnny Cueto is second with a 2.45 ERA. Though Vogelsong had been keeping runs off the board, his other statistics generally pointed to a regression like this coming. Of the top 5 pitchers in the NL (based on ERA) Vogelsong has the second-fewest strikeouts (110 in 145.2 IP), the most walks (50), and the highest WHIP (1.17). His 50 walks are the most by a significant margin. Dickey has the second-most of the quintet with 36 walks, but his have come in 162.1 innings.
Though Vogelsong's BAA is the second-lowest of the group, his lack of command and inability to keep hitters from getting on base have left him susceptible to explosions like the one on Monday.
The start was Vogelsong's only start of the season under six innings, and he has been consistent until this point. One tough outing will never be enough to scare anyone, but with the Giants slipping in the NL West race, the team is going to need him to get back to his early season form.
Connor Rose is a Chat Sports senior writer. E-mail him at: connorarose@gmail.com or reach him on Twitter: @connorarose.
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