Analyzing One Tweak Dustin May Made Vs. Orioles

Dustin May turned in his second straight quality start for the Boston Red Sox on Monday.

Over six innings, May allowed eight hits and two runs while striking out five and walking two. He wasn’t as sharp as in his previous start, but he battled through traffic and kept the Red Sox in the game without receiving any run support.

Facing a primarily left-handed lineup, May used a sweeper-heavy approach. It worked for him, though a 60% strike rate with the pitch suggests it might not be the most reliable approach. He also mixed in all three of his fastballs with some success, but his command wasn’t sharp.

“Tonight it was definitely a rocky one,” May said. “I had no idea where really anything was going.”

While May didn’t feel great about his start, he did make one tweak to monitor going forward, independent of his command.

Four times on Monday, May threw a changeup. He hasn’t used a changeup at all this season, but previously used one in 2023. It was only used sparingly then, but it was a solid change of pace pitch for him against lefties earlier in his career.

Four is an impossible sample size to draw any real conclusions from, but it’s significant that he threw the pitch at all. Adding a changeup makes his arsenal very similar to Brayan Bello’s, with a lower arm slot. If he can find any consistency with the pitch, it could go a long way in helping him get lefties out, by giving him another pitch that moves to the arm-side, and allowing him to decrease his reliance on the sweeper.