Blue Jays' Osuna: 'I just don't know what's going on right now'
The Toronto Blue Jays are off to the rockiest start in baseball, with their 6-15 record being the worst in MLB, and closer Roberto Osuna hasn't been helping the team's cause at all.
Osuna blew his third save of the season Thursday after allowing a game-tying two-run blast to Randal Grichuk of the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth inning. Toronto eventually lost the game thanks to Matt Carpenter's walk-off grand slam in extras.
Related: Is it time for the Blue Jays to remove Osuna as closer?
Despite Osuna's inability to finish games, the 22-year-old - who was troubled by a cervical spasm earlier this season - says there's nothing wrong with him.
"To be honest, I feel real good. I just don't know what's going on right now," he explained to reporters, including Arash Madani of Sportsnet. "I feel good when I'm out there. Everything has been happening after two outs. It's just one pitch for some reason. It's hard to figure out because I don't think I'm doing anything different, or there's something wrong with me. I can't understand."
Osuna's self-analysis is correct. The right-hander has indeed struggled with two outs, amid decreased fastball velocity, which has dropped by an average of nearly 2 mph compared to last season.
Number of outs in inning
| SPLIT | IP | ERA | H | ER | AVG | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 outs | 2 | 0.00 | 3 | 0 | .375 | 0 |
| 1 out | 2 | 4.50 | 1 | 1 | .167 | 0 |
| 2 outs | 2 | 18.00 | 5 | 4 | .500 | 1 |
Despite his struggles, Osuna remains confident, but still appears to be at a loss about why things aren't going his way.
"Today, I located my fastball really good for the first three hitters, and I missed one pitch right in the middle and he hit a homer. I'm not doing anything different," he said. "I can't understand. I don't have words. It's happening so fast."
Overall, Osuna owns a 7.50 ERA across six appearances, allowing nine hits and a .375 opponent's batting average.