Kyle Harrison allowed four hits and three runs with two strikeouts and did not walk a batter over four innings in a loss to the Cardinals on Wednesday.
Harrison told reporters afterwards that he’s been pitching through soreness on the outside of his elbow for a couple weeks, which is why he was limited to just four innings in this one. It doesn’t sound like a significant concern. He should benefit from some extra rest during the All-Star break. His final first-half outing got off to a weird start when Masyn Winn laced a line drive to right field that hit the recently promoted Luis Lara in the face. It would’ve been a tough play anyway and the sun was blindingly bright, but it set the table for two Cardinals runs that frame. From there, his command was iffy across the board. Too many of his fastballs sat in the middle of the plate rather than at the letters and it alone was responsible for seven hard-hit balls. Similarly, he spiked a good chunk of his slurves and they were easy to lay off of in two-strike counts. In the end, it was another uneven start for Harrison whose ERA climbed over three for the first time since late April. Nevertheless, he still put together an excellent first half with a 3.01 ERA, 101 strikeouts, and just 20 walks across 83 2/3 innings.
