masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgTo say the least, it has been a strange year for Kansas City right-hander Luke Hochevar. He enters today’s start against the Orioles with a record of 3-3 and an ERA of 7.20.

On the stat sheet, it looks like the O’s have a great chance to score a bunch of runs today. Yet, in four of his seven starts, Hochevar has allowed two earned runs or less and he pitched seven scoreless his last time out against the White Sox.

In the two games before that start against Chicago, he gave up 19 hits and 16…To say the least, it has been a strange year for Kansas City right-hander Luke Hochevar. He enters today’s start against the Orioles with a record of 3-3 and an ERA of 7.20.

On the stat sheet, it looks like the O’s have a great chance to score a bunch of runs today. Yet, in four of his seven starts, Hochevar has allowed two earned runs or less and he pitched seven scoreless his last time out against the White Sox.

In the two games before that start against Chicago, he gave up 19 hits and 16 runs over 6 1/3 innings.

Hard to understand how a guy can go from pitching that poorly to seven shutout innings. Like I said, strange year for him.

So how does this guy have an ERA of 7.20? Well, in his three other starts he has given up a whopping 23 earned runs in just 10 1/3 innings. So he has an ERA of 1.82 in his four good starts and 20.04 in his three terrible outings.

He can really trace some of his troubles to giving up big innings and 18 of his 28 runs allowed have come over just three innings this year.

He also has an ERA of 15.43 and batting average against of .472 when pitching in the first inning this year.

Finally, Hochevar has just one win in six career starts against the Orioles, going 1-4 with a 6.63 ERA.