On Monday evening, following a tough lo s to the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies closer Corey Knebel told reporters .I wouldnt say Marian Hossa Jersey its a tough month for me, he said. I mean, Ive had two bad outings in a row. Just two solo homers. Thats it.Perhaps it is a good thing that Knebel remains confident after some shaky outings. But the truth is, it has been a lot more than just two bad games.In 11.2 innings pitched in May, Knebel gave up nine runs (seven earned). He had given up just two runs (one earned) in April.Indeed, Knebel allowed more of pretty much everything this past month.Of the 18 hits David Kampf Jersey he has allowed this season, 12 came in May.Opposing hitters managed just one extra-base hit off of Knebel in April: a double at Coors Field in Colorado. In May, he surrendered six extra-base hits: three doubles, a triple, and two home runs.All those extra-base hits were the result of batters making higher quality contact. According to Statcast, Knebel has been steadily allowing better and better contact as the season has gone on.Scroll to ContinueKnebel also i sued seven walks in May compared to just Dominik Kahun Jersey three the month before. His strikeout-to-walk ratio plummeted.All of the good contact and the hits, walks, and runs that Knebel allowed came back to haunt him. While heconverted all four of his save opportunities in April, he blew three saves in seven chances in May. The Phillies lost five of the twelve games he entered. Thats not what any team wants from their closer.Long story short, no matter what Knebel says Marcus Kruger Jersey , May was rough for him. As the closer on a team with postseason aspirations, he needs to be better going forward.Confidence is generally Gustav Forsling Jersey an a set for profe sional athletes. But a player can be confident without overlooking his failures.In Knebels case, he would be wise to acknowledge his recent struggles. Otherwise, its hard to imagine how he can make the nece sary adjustments to return to his early season form.More From SI's :
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