Heading into Sunday's game, Archer stressed that he wanted to be aggressive and pound the strike zone. He did that, throwing 51 of his 77 pitches for strikes. But he allowed six earned runs in three innings, which was his shortest stint since pitching three-plus innings at Houston on June 14, 2014. Archer's shortest career start came on Aug. 7, 2013, at Arizona, when he went just 1 2/3 innings.
In addition, Archer has struggled in the first inning this season, and he did so again on Sunday when he allowed two runs. The right-hander's ERA in the opening frame is now 10.