Carlos Carrasco’s velocity plummeted. Is the pitch clock to blame?

 

Tim Britton - Carlos Carrasco’s velocity plummeted. Is the pitch clock to blame? - 

The most concerning aspect of Carrasco’s outing was the significant dip in his velocity as the game wore on. That manifested notably in the fourth inning. Carrasco’s fastball had averaged better than 92 mph in the first two frames and just under 91.5 mph in the third. But in the fourth, it regularly dipped below 90. One fastball at 88.7 mph was blasted to straightaway center by Brian Anderson for a two-run homer that pushed Milwaukee’s early lead to 3-0. 

According to data at Baseball Savant, it was the slowest four-seam fastball of Carrasco’s career. (Pitch trackers sometimes mix up two- and four-seam fastballs; for what it’s worth Carrasco has thrown only one two-seam fastball slower than that speed.)