Ducks pitcher Joe Iorio keeps looking for his put-away pitch

Joe Iorio often finds himself ahead in the count early.

Throwing two strikes isn’t a challenge for the fourth-year Ducks pitcher. It’s the put-away pitch that’s been his hiccup this season.

“I think it just comes down to execution,” Iorio said. “I do get to two strikes very quickly on these guys, and they seem to lock in a little bit more when I get to two strikes. So, if you leave the ball up or don’t make a great pitch, these guys are good enough to find holes.”

Iorio holds a 6.97 ERA through 16 appearances, 11 starts and 62 innings pitched. It’s up from his mid-four ERA in the previous two seasons.

Many of the struggles come late in the count as Iorio tends to throw high. He’s trying not to give the hitters anything easy over the plate.

Luis Rodriguez, the Ducks first-year pitching coach, said Iorio is too quick on the mound at times. When he uses his slide step, his arm doesn’t always catch up, thus leaving pitches high and vulnerable for hard contact.

But, Rodriguez added, Iorio can’t completely slow down his mechanics or else baserunners will steal with ease — something he said the Ducks as a whole have struggled with so far this season.

“With two strikes, you cannot throw strikes,” Rodriguez said. “... I learned over the years [that] every at-bat, you get one or two pitches to hit. You already got two with two strikes. I have to learn how to put you away. I cannot give you more strikes.”

Iorio leans on his fastball the most, which sits between 90-94 miles per hour. He’s not throwing overly fast, so he refers to the fastball as his "located fastball". At his best, he can place the pitch low to induce either a strikeout, or soft contact.

He also has a slider, curveball and changeup in his arsenal, which strengthens his fastball. While he said he throws his fastball “more than most guys,” he keeps hitters honest with three offspeed options.

“He has a pretty good changeup,” Rodriguez said. “His fastball has been consistently 90-plus. I still like what I see. You have to attack the zone, and he does that.”

The Ducks finished the first half of the season with a 37-26 record and clinched a playoff berth. The fresh start doesn’t reset player stats, but it gives the players an opportunity to tidy up their mistakes.

Rodriguez emphasized this to his pitchers.

“Listen, come up here — get your job done,” Rodriguez said. “Do your lifting. Do your running. Throw your bullpen. If you need to work on pitching, we’ll go on the mound. I’m here to help.”

For Iorio, it’s his opportunity to practice keeping the ball down with two strikes. 

He recalled discussing low pitch placement with manager Wally Backman in 2019, the pitcher’s first season with the Ducks. Iorio held a 3.09 ERA in 32 games and 19 starts, was an All-Star, and helped the Ducks win a championship.

Looking back, the 31-year-old said he’s gotten better but acknowledges his execution hasn’t always been on point this season. He’s always pushing to improve, and the second half of the season is an opportunity to do so.

While the Ducks have clinched a playoff berth already, Iorio said every person is coming to work each day with the intention of winning and getting better.

“Baseball, like a lot of other sports, is just being hot at the right time,” Iorio said. “We want to be playing well. We want to carry momentum into the playoffs. The season ends, I believe, on a Sunday and the playoffs start [later that week].”