Back in 2018, Cleveland Indians starter Carlos Carrasco began shifting the usage percentage of his pitches. Most notably, he began ramping up the amount of sliders he dished to opposing hitters.
This specific breaking ball has been Carrasco’s most utilized pitch in each of the past two seasons, and carries that designation this year, as well. It’s easy to see why, as his slider boasted a whiff rate of 44.8% last season, 48.5% the year before that.
With that in mind, there was no reason for him to adjust his approach heading into 2020, which was hammered home further in Carrasco’s first three starts.
However, his last two appearances have been shaky. Said struggles, at first glance, appear to be a result of command issues with his favorite pitch.
Casey Drottar is a Cleveland Indians writer for Sports Illustrated. Subscribe to his podcast, or follow him on Twitter and Facebook