Tommy Henry Unsatisfied with Execution Against Royals

The left-hander had good stuff and decent command but struggled to execute pitches at the level he wanted.

Left-hander Tommy Henry faced the Kansas City Royals for the second straight start. Coming off a clunker outing on March 9th, Henry needed to put together a good start to fend off Ryne Nelson and others for the fifth and final rotation spot. Once again the left-hander struggled, allowing five runs on six hits, two walks, two hit batters, and one strikeout in a 6-0 loss.

The left-hander failed to miss bats, with just two whiffs on 27 swings (7%). While the Royals didn't necessarily crush the baseball today, with only three of the 11 balls in play hit with an exit velocity of 95 MPH or more, the misplays resulted in runs crossing the plate. 

"I just don't think I've executed to the level I've expected to," said Henry. "I feel alright out there, the misses are OK, but I'm not executing at the level I need to be, and I think you can take care of a lot of the issues. I'm not expanding when I need to expand, times I'm out of the zone at times I want to be in the zone. I think it's minor adjustments, probably more of a thought process, game planning thing for me rather than mechanical adjustments."

Over his last three Cactus League appearances, Henry has allowed 13 runs on 22 hits, four walks, and five strikeouts over 8 2/3 innings. He's not too focused on the bottom-line results, focusing on laying the foundation for building good habits on the mound and improving his pitch execution.

The D-backs had a very sloppy game on defense, leaving at least three outs on the field that came around to score. Manager Torey Lovullo described it as a typical Spring Training game. Tucker Barnhart committed a throwing error on a swinging bunt, Eugenio Suárez misfired to first on a slow roller, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. lost a ball in the sun.

"Little things I'm looking to see is what does a pitcher do when there's a little bit of turmoil and a mistake's made behind him," said Lovullo. "The pitchers have been taught here, in this organization, to pick up your defender. When the pitcher's not doing well, we have taught position players to pick up the pitcher. Those are going to be reminders." 

Rookie right-hander Bryce Jarvis was a bright spot on the mound. Jarvis struck out five in 3 1/3 innings. He was tested in the 6th inning as a pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases with two outs, but Jarvis induced a groundout to second to strand them. He had a very good feel for his slider today, which neutralized the right-handed hitters of the Royals lineup.

"I feel like it's my best pitch to righties," said Jarvis. "I was using what's working and sticking with that. I can mix however I need to, and take whatever pitch I'm working on that day and go with it which today was the slider."

Jarvis has also added a cutter, having started throwing it in his last outing. He says that's helped keep right-handed hitters from sitting on his slider. Combing through the Statcast Game Feed, there were nine pitches in the 87-90 MPH range with a similar spin and movement profile that could be identified as a cutter. It generated two whiffs, a called strike, and a ball in play that went for an out. 

Today's outing was a huge step in the right direction for the young starter, who has battled command issues as a prospect. While he's not seen as a potential frontrunner for the final rotation spot, stringing together games like today improves his standing as a midseason call-up for when the team needs him.

"I'm here as a pitcher, regardless of what that role is, I'm here to help the team in whatever role they see fit. If it's as a starter, I would love that, I feel like that's where I'm the most comfortable. Any way I can help the team is good with me."

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. continues his hot streak at the plate. In his last two games, he's 4-for-5 with four extra base hits and a walk. With Gurriel expected to be a major part of the lineup, seeing him get hot is an encouraging sign.

The D-backs will travel to Maryvale to take on the Milwaukee Brewers tomorrow. The game will be broadcast as the Free Game of the Day on MLB.tv, with the Brewers TV crew announcing it. Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt takes the mound, looking to stretch out to four innings, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 PM MST.