Dodgers News: Ryan Brasier Discusses Uneven Start to 2024 Season
2024 has not gotten off to the start that Dodgers relief pitcher Ryan Brasier would have liked. After dazzling in 2023, where he had a 0.70 ERA in 39 appearances, Brasier has allowed a runner to score in six of his nine outings this year.
Brasier spoke with the media after the game, including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. He pointed to a drop in his velocity as to why he might be struggling.
“I feel pretty good physically, but my velocity is down a little bit. I’m doing some things to try to get it back to normal.”
Ryan Brasier to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times
According to Statcast, all of Brasiers’ fastballs have lost a couple of ticks on their velocity. However, he has yet to give up a hit on either his four-seam fastball or his cutter.
Rather, it’s his slider that batters seem to see better than in years past. Batters currently hold a .533 average with a 1.000 slugging percentage against his slider.
In years past, his slider has been his put-away pitch inducing the most whiffs and strikeouts. This year, though, it’s not generating near the swing-and-miss that it normally does.
His fastball velocity could certainly play a part in this. With the gap in velocities between the slider and the rest of his pitches narrower, Brasier loses some of the deceptions on his offspeed pitches.
It’s still early in the year, but the bullpen performance has been a noticeable sore spot for the Dodgers. Getting Brasier back to something resembling 2023 could go a long way in rectifying some of those issues.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, livestreams, and more!
