Michael Lorenzen’s struggles after no-hitter continue in Phillies’ 8-0 loss to the Padres

SAN DIEGO — Michael Lorenzen is frustrated. It’s hard to blame him. He has not looked like himself since he threw a no-hitter on Aug. 9. A few hours before Tuesday’s game, representatives from Vans presented the Phillies pitcher with a bronze replica of the sneaker he wore on that night. “Lorenzen” was engraved on the top, with “No-No 124″ engraved on the side.

It was a nice keepsake, but for now, it is just that, a keepsake. A memory. Lorenzen has allowed 19 earned runs in the four starts he’s made since Aug. 9. Over his last three outings, he was at least trending in the right direction. The right-handed starter was pitching deeper into games, and allowing fewer earned runs with every start.

But on Tuesday, in the Phillies’ 8-0 loss, Lorenzen took a step back. And it’s unclear why. His delivery was smooth, and his velocity was there, but the swing and miss was not. He struck out just one batter, and walked three, allowing seven runs, of which six were earned, in six innings. Standing in the visitor’s clubhouse on Tuesday night, with that bronze replica not far away, he wasn’t able to provide any answers.

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“The changeup today, I don’t know what was up with that,” he said. “I didn’t get a swing-and-miss on the changeup today. I don’t know if they game-planned for it or what. I didn’t think that it was terrible. I liked my changeup. I just didn’t get a swing-and-miss with it.

“So we had to change the game plan a little bit. I had to get really fine with it. Then I’d bounce it and it’s a non-competitive pitch. So it was just ... yeah.”

Usually, when a pitcher is fatigued, or injured, his velocity will dip. Lorenzen has thrown a career-high 143⅔ innings this season, but his velocity hasn’t dipped. He says he feels “great,” physically. He has wondered if he’s overthinking, or trying too hard. It’s hard to find a reason for his struggles.

“I mean, I’m about as frustrated as you can get,” he said. “Yeah. My job is to get big-league hitters out and keep our team in a good position to win a baseball game. I feel like I’ve failed at that quite often.”

The Phillies’ infield defense did not do Lorenzen any favors. After he gave up a solo home run to Fernando Tatis in the fourth, things spiraled. He allowed a single to Manny Machado and a double to Xander Bogaerts, both of whom scored when Luis Campusano hit a ball toward Bryson Stott in the next at-bat.

Stott struggled to get the ball out of his glove. His throw to catcher Garrett Stubbs was wide, and the ball flew past him. Stott was charged with an error, scoring one of those two runs unearned for Lorenzen, but the damage didn’t stop there.

After a 1-2-3 fifth inning, the Padres blew open the game in the sixth, drawing three walks and tacking on four more runs on three singles. Lorenzen’s six earned runs tied a season-high.

There have been more than a few Phillies starters who have had inconsistent results this season. Aaron Nola and Taijuan Walker are among them. But Lorenzen’s last four outings have been inconsistent, too.

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When the Phillies acquired Lorenzen at the deadline, it seemed like they were getting him at the perfect time. Lorenzen had allowed only three earned runs in his last four starts for Detroit. He allowed two earned runs in eight innings in his first start for the Phillies on Aug. 3. His next start was the no-hitter.

Since then, he hasn’t looked nearly as dominant. Manager Rob Thomson is keeping a close eye on his workload. The Phillies are considering piggy-backing him with Cris Sanchez, depending on what their opponent’s lineup looks like.

“[The innings] could be affecting him,” Thomson said. “It could be. But some of them might have to do with the aftermath of the no-hitter still. One hundred twenty-four pitches, that takes its toll.”

After putting up nine runs on Monday, the Phillies were shut out on three hits on Tuesday. They grounded into a season-high four double plays. Three of those came from Nick Castellanos — on just four pitches. Bryce Harper, who is hitless in 19 at-bats since hitting his 300th home run on Aug. 30, went 0-for-3 with a walk. Their only hits came from their Nos. 6, 7 and 8 hitters (Brandon Marsh, Jake Cave and Edmundo Sosa).

There were opportunities to do damage. They collected six walks against Padres starter Pedro Avila, but failed to take advantage of their traffic on the bases. Avila had not pitched more than 4⅔ innings in a start before Tuesday, but lasted 6⅔ against the Phillies.

“I stopped counting after the sixth, but we made 13 outs on the ground through the sixth inning,” Thomson said. “So, it’s just one of those nights. Seven walks and struck out five times, starter walks six, struck out one, and usually that’s a recipe for some runs, but it didn’t work out tonight.”

The Phillies are now only 1.5 games ahead of the Cubs in the first National League wild-card spot.