San Diego Padres Kyle Hart was a victim of his ineffectiveness
The Friars will be forgoing a fifth starter for the next 10 days.
We are in the final weekend of Major League Baseball’s first month of the season. Teams begin the evaluation process with their roster, as changes will likely follow.
As soon as Kyle Hart struggled on the mound, you knew he would become a victim of his ineffectiveness. The San Diego Padres wasted little time sending him to El Paso after another disappointing outing.
Hart’s pitching struggles could go unnoticed any longer
In five starts, Hart went five innings or fewer in four of those starts. He posted an impressive 6.7% walk rate but struggled striking out (17.8% K rate) opposing hitters. Another concern is the low ground ball rate (33.3%), as Hart left the ball up in the strike zone. He has given up six home runs this month.
Hart’s pitching arsenal has been batting practice for right-handed hitters. They’re hitting .333 against him. His changeup is failing to neutralize them early in the count.
Schedule dictates four-man rotation
The schedule makers did the Friars a favor as they will not need a fifth starter until May 5 during the series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. It will allow Padres manager Mike Shildt to use a four-man rotation in the interim.
The lack of starting pitching depth does not afford the Friars to have any prolonged stretch of ineffectiveness by a starter in the rotation. The timeline for Yu Darvish’s return to the active roster remains unclear. Keep an eye on Bryan Hoeing being used as a spot starter upon his return from the injury list.
The demotion seemed academic, but Hart can use being sent down to Triple-A El Paso as motivation to regroup and work on becoming more consistent on the mound. He needs to seize the moment instead of squandering the opportunity as Hart has done in the past. Positive results may fuel the Padres to bring him back to the majors.
Granted, five starts is a small sample, but Hart has been erratic. However, there is no reason for panic.
The Padres’ roster move may have been motivated by the number of off days coming this week. Hart must use the time to resolve his pitching issues before he returns to San Diego.
If not, it is hard to imagine the Friars bringing him back any time soon.
