Cincinnati Reds decide to rest Aroldis Chapman after recent slump – MLB News
The Cincinnati Reds' closer Aroldis Chapman on Tuesday, September 11, admitted to ‘a little fatigue’ in his left arm after his two poor outings. Failure to save chances culminated with the Reds’ decision to give him some rest.
This comes at a time when the Reds are bracing themselves for the insurmountable challenges like the playoffs. With the ambition to go beyond the post-season, the Reds cannot possibly bear lack of form of this multitalented player.
But Chapman spoke candidly about what has gone wrong lately, rendering him unable to pitch with the class and excellence that he has been doing this season.
"It's been a couple games back, I feel like I haven't been myself," Chapman said. "I felt a lot of fatigue when I go in there, but I don't think it's anything major or [anything] wrong. I just feel weak."
Monday was the first for Chapman when the Reds decided to remove him from the game in the middle of the inning. His outing was highly unusual wherein he walked two of his batters in the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Dusty Baker’s worry, however, was not confined to velocity that is missing (Chapman has not been able to pitch with his characteristic triple-digit mark lately). For Baker, importantly, it is command that is conspicuously missing.
"I was worried more about his command than I was his velocity," Baker said. "I talked to Dr. [Timothy] Kremchek [team doctor], talked to our medical staff and trainers, and they just said he was a bit fatigued. The guy throws 100 mph, he's going to fatigue something sooner or later."
Chapman, nonetheless, says it is fatigue that has resulted in this issue. He regards it as something normal as every pitcher faces the same problem at some point in time.
The 24-year-old Chapman has made appearance in 64 games this season, having 35 saves to his credit with a 1.60 ERA. With 119 strike-outs in 67.2 innings, there is a lot that this closer can be credited, especially his ability to outplay any rival; something that is acknowledged by fans and teams alike.
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