Matt Harrison's future as an MLB pitcher is still very much up in the air, and that was apparent a couple of weeks ago when he made his return to a big-league mound after a 14-month layoff with an unprecedented spinal fusion surgery.
Harrison struggled to reach the upper 80s with his fastball and his command wasn't nearly good enough to compensate for a very hittable velocity with his fastball. The result was six hits, six runs, one strikeout and three walks in four innings of work in a 7-4 loss to the Diamondbacks.
He makes his second start since his monumental, emotional return on Tuesday night in Colorado — not exactly a great locale for a pitcher trying to find his way, even if the Rockies are even worse than the Rangers against left-handed pitching. With all that in mind, Harrison will need some better results on Tuesday, not only for his own confidence but also for the Rangers' confidence in him.
At this point with the Rangers postseason aspirations taking a massive nosedive, you have to think the Rangers will give Harrison the rest of the year to show he can be a part of their future plans, and he can start turning things around on Tuesday against the Rockies.
