Pedro blew a 7-4 lead. He gave up 11 hits and seven runs while failing to get an out in the sixth. Here's some perspective on those numbers: He's given up 11 hits or more (12 is his career high) only six times in the big leagues. He's given up seven earned runs or more only eight times in his career, and two of those games came this year. He gave up only seven homers in 186 2/3 innings last year and he's already given up 10 in 75 2/3 innings this year.
Does Pedro have an injury or was this just another uneven performance in an uneven season? Are we watching his skills decline in front of our eyes, or is Pedro struggling because he's anxious about his impending free agency -- a charge that's been leveled at the animated Lowe through this season?
Personally, I think it's Pedro's new Shaughnessy hairstyle that might be messing him up, but whatever is going on, Martinez needs to get back on track or he can forget about George Steinbrenner dangling many millions for many years on a guy with John Burkett stuff. Pedro is making $17.5 million this year, more than any pitcher in history, and thus far he has not delivered. A salary of $17.5 million should buy you more than five wins in 12 starts with a pedestrian ERA of 4.40.
Pedro told us location is his problem. He said he's healthy. He said his velocity is coming back (and the Anaheim radar gun had him as high as 94 miles per hour), but he needs to work on the side to get his breaking stuff back in the right places.
"I'm struggling a little bit lately," he acknowledged. "I seem to be lost with my breaking stuff . . . It's always concerning for me. I'm not used to that, but I'm not going to let that affect my approach. I'm just going to have to swallow what's happening now."
Nothing came easily against the torrid Angels. He threw a cookie curveball to the ferocious Vladimir Guerrero in the first inning and baseball's best player (go ahead, argue that one) launched a heat-seeking missile over the wall in left. The homer accounted for the first two of Guerrero's nine RBIs in Anaheim's 10-7 win, but who was counting?
We were counting pitches, as we always do with Pedro, and he threw 22 before he got the second out of the game.
