Yesterday the Phillies announced that Jesse Biddle was being placed on the temporary inactive list. About 4 weeks ago Biddle was hit on the head with a piece of hail that caused him a concussion, the Phillies skipped a start and then he was cleared to pitch again. He has since pitched 15.2 innings over 4 starts, given up 22 runs while walking 14 and striking out 12.
During this stretch it wasn’t that Biddle was getting hit around by batters who had figured him out, he was just a mess. His delivery and release point (which have always been a bit inconsistent) just went away with every early mistake. This caused his curveball to turn into a long loopy Euphus pitch that ended 2 feet above the strike zone, his fastball to be up, and his changeup to be a BP fastball down the middle. It was also clear from his body language that something was not right. I thought it might be an injury (hoping it wasn’t his shoulder)
Turns out it was an injury, Biddle has been feeling the concussion symptoms and they have spiraled into a mental mess. Mike Drago had these quotes by Biddle
"Nothing feels fluid on the mound, nothing feels natural," said Reading's Jesse Biddle, who has been placed on the temporary inactive list
— Mike Drago (@mldrago) June 26, 2014
Jesse Biddle, on his recent slump: "I’m miserable out there. I’m very unhappy. And I don’t know why." More on http://t.co/ihGRQnZ5lg shortly
— Mike Drago (@mldrago) June 26, 2014
The yips are scary for pitchers because pitching is so mental, and if Biddle can’t get on top of his pitches and keep the ball down he is going to really struggle going forward. The Phillies had been working on having Biddle pitch through it, but it appears that was not working for Biddle. The break should allow him to recover more from his concussion and clear his head to return to what made him dominant.
As always with concussions, they should be taken really seriously. Every time you hear concussion, replace it with brain injury, it adds a level of seriousness here. Concussions can mess with the rest of your life, so it is important to let them heal as full as they can when they happen.
Wishing all the best for Jesse who is by all accounts a hard worker, it would be a huge blow to the Phillies system if he can’t recover.