Orioles starting pitcher Jason Hammel has posted a 10.43 ERA and .409 opponents' batting average in his last three starts after opening the year with a 3.79 ERA and .244 opponents' batting average in his first six starts.
"It's not mechanical at all," Hammel said, per MASNsports.com. "You try to mess with things that are pretty sound, you'll get yourself in even more trouble."
Hammel, who will be on the mound Wednesday against the Yankees, said in a recent side session he worked on his fastball command and keeping his pitches down in the strike zone to induce more groundball outs.
"This last (side session), all I did was throw fastballs, because that is what I've been struggling with, the fastball. Sometimes you have to go back to basics," he said. "It is not necessarily the (lack of) sink, but my pitches are up in the zone. Two-seamer has been good at times, but the misses overall with all pitches have just been too hittable up in the zone and badly executed. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with my pitches, but they've just been too hittable right now."