Reid Detmers allowed six runs – five earned – and five hits with two walks and four strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings in a loss to the Braves on Wednesday.
Some of what’s still holding Detmers back in his transition to the starting rotation was evident in this start. His fastball velocity fell from over 95 mph in the first inning to under 94 mph by the third to below 93 mph by the fifth before he was pulled. In that third inning, Matt Olson launched a home run on a 94 mph fastball. Detmers’ so-so command means that fastball’s effectiveness will be closely tied to its velocity, so keep an eye on whether or not he can sustain it moving forward. Otherwise, his slider was still nasty and he did get a bit unlucky with some porous defense behind him. He also didn’t allow many hard-hit balls. It was a strange start and he’ll try to recapture some positive momentum in a tough matchup against the Yankees in the Bronx coming up.