Through just four collegiate starts, freshman starting pitcher Matt Krook has already certified his skills as lethal.
The 6-foot-3 left-hander flashed brilliance against Ohio State Saturday night, allowing just one hit and striking out 10 Buckeyes in a span of 5.1 innings. With his back-breaking slider and his knee-buckling curveball, Krook had the Ohio State lineup on their toes throughout the course of his start.
However, following Oregon’s 5-0 loss to Ohio State, a frustrated Krook reflected on his six walks, rather than his 10 strikeouts.
“Pitches got away from me,” Krook said. “Way too many walks.”
“I’m not happy with my outing today at all, definitely not.”
Throwing 109 pitches in 5.1 innings pitched is abnormally high. While Krook was getting the outs his team needed, he was using way too many pitches to complete his objective.
“We’ve got to figure out a way to get Krook deeper in games,” head coach George Horton said.
When Krook was relieved of his duties, Trent Paddon and Stephen Nogosek allowed the Ducks to stay within striking distance. But in the 9th, with the score still at 1-0, relievers Garrett Cleavinger and Jake Reed let the game get away from Oregon. In one inning, the two relievers allowed four runs before handing a five-run deficit over to the offense with just three outs remaining.
Krook’s inconsistency with finding the plate was apparent throughout his start. The opposing starting pitcher, however, put on a dominant and efficient display. Ryan Riga threw a complete game shutout while striking out 10 and allowing just seven Oregon batters to reach base.
“(Riga) pitched well tonight and he deserved the win,” Krook said. “I wish I could be as efficient as he was. It would be nice to throw nine innings.”
Being a first-round MLB draft pick out of high school, Krook knows that he has the stuff to get batters out. However, he still has a lot to learn and raw talent that he needs to define.
“We all have to remember that he’s just a freshman,” Horton said. “He doesn’t have a big ‘S’ on his chest. He’s awfully good, but he’s just a freshman.”
Horton isn’t the only one that sees the potential of Krook and how vital it is to get him deeper into games.
“He’s gotten better with each start,” starting second baseman Aaron Payne said. “If he can start pounding the zone a little more he’s going to get later into the games. That’s really good for us.”
Although this game will be noted as his first loss at the collegiate level, Krook’s display of his natural ability is something that Oregon has to be excited about moving forward.
“His stuff is so good that if he gets control, he’s going to be unhittable down the road,” Payne said.
Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @jhoyt42