Ky Bush entered his start against Norfolk on Saturday with 123 innings under his belt this season.
After his start against the Tides, he's at ... 124. Bush lasted only one inning, giving up four runs (three earned) on three hits and a walk over 31 pitches.
Colson Montgomery didn't help matters. First, he got under a double-play turn and throwing high and wide to first (and with the 5-foot-9-inch Michael Chavis playing first base, a greater number of throws can be called "high and wide"). Completing the routine throw would've given Bush his first two outs with a runner on third. Instead, he had runners on the corners with one out. Both came around to score on a Niko Goodrum single and a TT Bowens double, and Bowens eventually crossed the plate when Montgomery handcuffed himself on a routine bouncer that should've ended the inning.
But even with flawless shortstop play, Bush looks like he's running out of steam. Statcast had him topping out at 90.6 mph, when it had him averaging 91.7 mph in his four MLB starts, which already represented a velocity drop at the time. Also, while he's more reliant on weak contact than whiffs, he usually does better than one swinging strike every 31 pitches.
After his difficult three innings against Detroit in his last start with the White Sox, he acknowledged the toll of the season on his stuff, even if he vowed to keep pushing:
“Overall, [my] body feels great,” Bush said. “It’s just, I think [I’m] maybe at that point in the season. This is the most I’ve thrown in my career so, I think just getting through that threshold of innings and just keep working through it. I feel like over time, it will all sync up.”
Since he's getting further away from it, I wonder if the White Sox will have him call it a season a couple weeks early.
Norfolk 8, Charlotte 4
- Yoán Moncada went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Tim Elko, 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Colson Montgomery was 3-for-5.
- Ky Bush: 1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 15 of 31 pitches for strikes.
Birmingham 6, Pensacola 4
- Rikuu Nishida went 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base.
- Wilfred Veras was 1-for-5 with a double and a strikeout.
- DJ Gladney, 2-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Jacob Gonzalez hit a three-run homer to make more out of his 1-for-4 night.
- Terrell Tatum was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Noah Schultz: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 38 of 67 pitches for strikes.
- Peyton Pallette: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 18 of 29 pitches for strikes.
Greenville 7, Winston-Salem 4
- Eddie Park was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Caden Connor, 0-for-4 with a K.
- Casey Sauckie went 1-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
- Ryan Galanie, 0-for-3 with a sac fly and two strikeouts.
- Wes Kath was 1-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
- Calvin Harris went 1-for-4 with a double and a K.
- Samuel Zavala went 1-for-2 with two walks.
- Hagen Smith: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 23 of 39 pitches for strikes.
Kannapolis 7, Salem 4
- Sam Antonacci went 2-for-5 with a double, and was caught stealing.
- George Wolkow was 1-for-5 with a double and two strikeouts.
- T.J. McCants walked once and struck out thrice.
- Ronny Hernandez was 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Jeral Perez, 2-for-3 with a homer and a walk.
- Justin Sinibaldi: 3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 26 of 36 pitches for strikes.