Rockies rookie right-hander Jeff Hoffman certainly did not pitch well in a 13-5 loss to Pittsburgh on Friday night. His seven runs, nine hits and four walks allowed over three innings is evidence of that.
But there were factors out of Hoffman’s control that contributed to that ugly line. The Pirates doinked three hits off him in their two-run first inning. Plus, Hoffman got squeezed by home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez. According to Statcast’s strike zone imaging, eight Hoffman borderline strikes were ruled balls. Because four of those were first pitches, Hoffman ended up pitching from behind in the count.