Lopez's zone squeezed most often, data shows

KANSAS CITY -- One of the reasons Royals right-hander Jorge López has struggled with inconsistency this season is likely out of his hands: According to Statcast, Lopez has been squeezed by home plate umpires more than any other pitcher on the Royals.

Lopez has thrown 19 pitches this season inside the strike zone that were called balls, which puts him among the Major League leaders. Lopez has also had a staggering 89 pitches that were either inside the zone or on the corners that were called balls -- he is in the top 20 of all MLB pitchers in that category.

That data could partly explain why Lopez is 0-4 with a 6.07 ERA. The Royals coaching staff thinks so, though both manager Ned Yost and pitching coach Cal Eldred were unaware of the amount of missed calls on Lopez.

“It’s because his ball moves late,” Eldred said. “The umpires don’t stick with it. I didn’t realize there were that many. He’s getting punished for something that should make him an exceptional pitcher.”

Yost said the amount of missed calls has certainly affected Lopez’s performance.

“My issue with the strike zone is that I don’t want any gifts,” Yost said. “I just want what I’ve earned. This kid has earned [89 strikes], and MLB will say it’s not accurate. But I happen to believe it is accurate. Eighty-nine pitches? That blows my mind.”

Number of in-zone strikes called balls:

1) Lance Lynn 30

2) Jon Gray 26

3) Marcus Stroman 25

4) Gerrit Cole 25

5) Yu Darvish 24

24) Jorge Lopez 19

The most egregious game for missed calls came on April 27, when the Royals played the Angels at Kauffman Stadium with umpire Jerry Layne behind the plate. In that game alone, according to Statcast, Lopez had 17 pitches in-zone or on the corners called balls.

Lopez only lasted 3 2/3 innings that night. The two teams required 351 pitches combined to complete a game that did not go to extra innings.

Lopez said he had an idea he has been getting squeezed.

“Wow. I didn’t know it was that many,” Lopez said, smiling. “I think maybe my two-seamer moves quite a bit and it may be hard to stay with. And because this is my first full year, maybe they’re not used to me. Maybe second or third time around it will be different.”

One byproduct of the missed calls, perhaps, is that Lopez has had to force pitches almost middle-middle at times to get a strike. He has given up a team-high 10 home runs.

“I do get frustrated,” he said. “And when I fall behind in the count because I don’t get the pitches, I sometimes have to throw down the middle so I don’t get the walk.

“But you still have to make pitches no matter what. You can’t make excuses.”

Even more curious is that Lopez’s two catchers, Martin Maldonado and Cam Gallagher, are regarded as exceptional framers. The amount of missed calls with Lopez takes a toll on their framing stats.

“I think it’s just because his pitches move so much, sometimes his four-seamer really runs,” Gallagher said.

Maldonado’s theory?

“It could be because he has five pitches that move a lot in a lot of different directions,” he said. “It could be hard for umpires to stick with the pitches. I don’t know. But you know, you can’t control it, so you have to keep making pitches.”