Cincinnati Reds: Tyler Mahle draws a tough matchup on Thursday

Cincinnati Reds starter Tyler Mahle has been struggling of late. Thursday’s game against the Washington Nationals is not an ideal matchup to get back on track.

Tyler Mahle has been in a slump of late. The Cincinnati Reds rookie pitcher hasn’t won a game since July 6th. A ret hot June for the right-hander made way to an icy cold July, and things won’t get any easier for Mahle when he goes up against a Washington Nationals’ team whose bats have come alive since the All-Star break.

Tyler Mahle didn’t have his stuff during the month of July. In 4 starts, Mahle was 1-2 versus opponents with an 8.62 ERA. In Mahle’s defense, three of the four games he started was against division leaders, and the other matchup was against the red-hot Pittsburgh Pirates who won 11 straight games during the stretch in which they faced Mahle.

The poor performances in July were in stark contrast to the rookie’s play during the previous month. During his 6 starts in June, Mahle was 3-0 with a 2.18 ERA. The Reds were 5-1 during Mahle’s June starts, including a 12 strikeout performance against the Milwaukee Brewers. Mahle went at least five innings deep in all six contests, something that’s been plaguing him of late.

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Tyler Mahle will draw the unfortunate assignment of going head-to-head with Nationals’ ace Max Scherzer. Scherzer is 14-5 on the season and is carrying a 2.30 ERA through 22 starts this season. Scherzer drew the start for the National League in the All-Star Game, and if he continues to dominate the competition, Scherzer may take home his fourth Cy Young Award.

Not only will Mahle’s counterpart make it difficult for the rookie to get back on track, but the Nats’ bats have woken up since the All-Star break. The Nationals scored 30 runs in a two-game series against New York Mets. Yes, you read that right, 30 runs!

The Nationals have scored 73 runs in the 11 games they’ve played since the All-Star break. That’s 6.63 runs per game during that stretch. While some people would point to the 25-run performance as an outlier, the Nationals were also shut out in one game against the Miami Marlins, and in another game during that series only scooted one run across.

Tyler Mahle his given up five home runs in his last three starts. Mahle gave up only three homers in the entire month of June.  Opposing teams going yard is something that has killed Reds pitching all season, and the Reds’ pitchers must keep the ball in the ballpark in order to win games. If that sounds like one of the most logical and simplest things that can be stated, that’s because it is.

Mahle’s breaking ball and off-speed pitch are just average. Mahle is going to rely on his fastball in order to retire hitters. Controlling his fastball is the key to success on the mound for Tyler Mahle. If Mahle can locate his fastball down in the zone he’ll give himself a much better chance for success.

Mahle looked every bit the part earlier in the season, but a recent slump has given some Reds fans cause to pause. If he can get his groove back against the bats that the Nationals bring to the plate, Reds fans may be in for a better August than July.