Right-hander Carlos Hernández has a 6.17 ERA with 19 walks and 34 strikeouts across 35 innings, including an 8.68 ERA with the Detroit Tigers.
ARLINGTON, TX — Detroit Tigers right-handed reliever Carlos Hernández, a flamethrower who has struggled to command his pitches, overhauled his pitch mix just before the All-Star break in search of a breakthrough.
He is throwing fewer pitch types.
And he is throwing way more splitters.
"Dynamic, physical build, the high-end velocity, the split, the movement," manager A.J. Hinch said Sunday, July 20, before the Tigers' series finale against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. "It makes for a tough combo when he can use his stuff correctly."
Hernández — claimed off waivers in mid-June from the Philadelphia Phillies — owns a 6.17 ERA with 19 walks and 34 strikeouts across 35 innings in 34 games, including an 8.68 ERA in nine games with the Tigers.
But Hernández hasn't allowed a run or given up a hit in two relief appearances entering Sunday — his first two games with the refined pitch mix. In those outings, he has one walk and three strikeouts across two innings.
He used to throw six pitches.
Now, Hernández relies on just two: a splitter and a four-seam fastball.
"I think it shows just how dynamic his split is," Hinch said of Hernández, whose fastball averages 97.8 mph and splitter generates a 49.1% whiff rate. "He's been a starter mix his whole career, and while those pitches have been effective for him at times, a more simplified approach has been better performance."
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In his first 32 games, Hernández featured this pitch mix: 55.4% four-seam fastball, 17.4% sliders, 14.2% splitters, 11.1% curveballs, 1.7% sinkers, 0.2% sweepers.
In his last two games: 65% splitters, 27.5% four-seam fastballs, 5% sliders, 2.5% curveballs. (He trimmed his pitch usage to just two in his most recent game: 68.4% splitters, 31.6% four-seam fastballs.)
Moving forward, Hernández is expected to keep his pitch mix simplified to splitters and fastballs while focusing on throwing strikes to cut down on walks.
"It was like 70%," Hinch said, referencing Hernández's splitter usage on Saturday, July 19, against the Rangers. "That's obviously very extreme, but it's also very effective. Generally speaking, you want to throw your best pitch the most. Right now, his split has been very dynamic."
Everyone is about to find out if less is more.
If not, the Tigers won't have any choice but to scrap the Hernández project.
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Who is TBD in pitching plan?
The Tigers have set two of three starting pitchers for their upcoming series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park: right-hander Jack Flaherty on Monday, July 21, and right-hander Casey Mize on Tuesday, July 22.
There isn't a starter listed for the series finale, a day game on Wednesday, July 23.
"We're still sorting through what we're going to do," Hinch said.
Amid 13 games in 13 days to open the season's second half, the Tigers have pushed the whole rotation back one day — something Hinch said the Tigers have been "very consistent" about doing this season.
Right-hander Reese Olson is scheduled to start Thursday, July 24, in the opener against the Toronto Blue Jays at Comerica Park. For Wednesday, the Tigers haven't made a decision on the starting pitcher, but right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long (neck stiffness) might not be ready to return from the injured list.
Another option is left-hander Dietrich Enns.
"We'll sort through our options," Hinch said.
Is Troy Melton coming soon?
It's unclear if right-hander Troy Melton will be the answer for Wednesday's start against the Pirates, but the 24-year-old has put himself on the radar for an MLB promotion in the near future, likely as a starter but possibly as a reliever.
The only question is his ability to get outs against left-handed hitters.
For Triple-A Toledo, the strike-throwing Melton has a 2.72 ERA with nine walks and 56 strikeouts across 36⅓ innings in eight games (six starts). Before that, he registered a 3.23 ERA in 10 starts for Double-A Erie.
Melton is the Tigers' No. 10 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
As a Mud Hen, Melton is throwing 50% fastballs, 21.7% cutters, 12.9% sliders, 8.3% changeups and 7.1% curveballs. He has three swing-and-miss weapons.
His fastball averages 96.7 mph and maxes out at 99.9 mph, but more importantly, it generates a 25.9% whiff rate. (For reference, the Triple-A average for fastball whiff rate is 22.8%.) Beyond that, his cutter has a 37.7% whiff rate and his slider has a 48.7% whiff rate.
The Tigers selected Melton with the No. 117 overall pick in the 2022 draft out of San Diego State.
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Carlos Hernández simplifies plan; Troy Melton emerges
Category: Baseball
