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What a difference a month makes for these pitchers


Every baseball season has its ebbs and flows. Given that we are a little more than two months into the 2015 campaign, it is easier now than it might be later in the summer for some of these peaks and valleys to catch our attention.

Here are six pitchers who have had rather stark contrasts between their April and May performances. Taking a closer look at each pitcher's skills gives us better insight into his true level of performance and expectations going forward. As you will see, things are not always as good — or as bad — as they seem.

Carlos Martinez, St. Louis Cardinals

April: 1.73 ERA, 1.04 WHIP. May: 4.19 ERA, 1.46 WHIP.

Martinez, who spent most of 2014 as a reliever, entered spring training in a battle for a starting rotation spot. A strong March earned him the gig. He hit the ground running with a fantastic April, albeit with the aid of an unusually low .203 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) and outstanding luck with runners on base. Still, he logged plenty of strikeouts (8.3 K/9) while posting a decent walk rate (3.5 BB/9), so it wasn't entirely based on good fortune.

In May, his BABIP regressed (.337), and he issued more free passes (4.5 BB/9). The magic he displayed in April with regard to stranding baserunners was no longer evident. Even with additional strikeouts (10.5 K/9), Martinez couldn't avoid the damage.

The 23-year-old has immense potential, but he has, at times, had control problems and difficulty retiring left-handed batters. If he can improve in those areas, this could be his breakout season.

Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox

April: 5.76 ERA, 1.56 WHIP. May: 3.31 ERA, 1.10 WHIP.

After having a year to forget in 2014, Buchholz began 2015 fanning more batters than ever (11.9 K/9), but an ill-fated .403 BABIP and inability to strand runners resulted in an unsightly ERA and WHIP. With better luck, he produced superior results in May despite far fewer strikeouts (7.4 K/9).

Since 2014, Buchholz has made a change to his pitch mix, throwing his four-seam fastball 10% less and his sinker and changeup more. Given that his four-seamer was the hardest hit of all of his pitches in 2014 and his changeup generated the most whiffs, the adjustment makes sense.

Buchholz's combination of swing-and-miss stuff, healthy ground-ball rate (51%), and solid control is a great recipe for success. It's unrealistic to believe the 30-year-old can match his incredible 2013 campaign, but he seems poised to make 2014 a distant memory.

Trevor Bauer, Cleveland Indians

April: 1.80 ERA, 1.12 WHIP. May: 3.72 ERA, 1.22 WHIP.

Once hyped as a top prospect, Bauer had largely been a disappointment — until this season. He opened eyes in spring training, when he owned a sterling 26/1 K/BB ratio in 272/3 innings, but he was unable to carry that vastly enhanced control into April. A fortunate BABIP (.246) and some wizardry with men on base masked an atrocious walk rate (4.7 BB/9).

Though he cut down on the free passes in May (2.8 BB/9), his strikeout rate dipped from 10.1 to 8.6. Bauer's BABIP also fell back in line with what one would typically expect (.287), and he wasn't nearly as resourceful when it came to stranding runners. That all contributed to increases in his ERA and WHIP. The 24-year-old's capacity to maintain the control gains he showed last month will be the determining factor as to whether or not he can take a significant step forward in 2015.

Collin McHugh, Houston Astros

April: 2.92 ERA, 1.18 WHIP. May: 5.08 ERA, 1.28 WHIP.

McHugh seemingly came from out of nowhere with a stellar rookie performance in 2014. He picked up where he left off with a fine April, but ran into some trouble in May as his strikeout rate declined from 8.4 K/9 to a subpar 6.7 K/9 and batters slugged eight home runs against him. He managed to get through April without allowing a home run, so one could say he was probably due.

Armed with a 90-mph fastball, McHugh relies heavily on his breaking pitches. He is presently among league leaders in terms of slider (41%) and curve ball usage (23%). One has to wonder about the ramifications throwing such an extreme number of breaking balls could have on his health over the long haul. Don't expect the 27-year-old to duplicate last season's success, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him sport an ERA in the neighborhood of 3.50 to 3.75 over the rest of 2015.

Chase Anderson, Arizona Diamondbacks

April: 4.24 ERA, 1.29 WHIP. May: 2.65 ERA, 1.13 WHIP.

Anderson was not a highly touted prospect, but he has produced decent numbers. A quick glance at the splits would seem to indicate he stepped up his game in May, but that's not the case at all. In fact, his strikeout rate plummeted from a roughly league average 7.7 K/9 to a puny 5.1. An uncanny knack for keeping the ball in the yard (no home runs allowed in May) gave his ERA quite a boost.

The 27-year-old's best assets are an excellent changeup and good command. Anderson isn't flashy, but if he can get back to missing bats as he did in the season's opening month, he could put up respectable numbers the rest of the way.

Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs

April: 5.23 ERA, 1.21 WHIP. May: 2.81 ERA, 1.09 WHIP.

Hendricks isn't blessed with overpowering stuff, but he has made the most of an arsenal that includes a sinker, changeup, cutter and curve. His 90-mph fastball is rarely thrown as he leans primarily on the sinker (63%) and changeup (16%).

As expected with such a pitch mix, Hendricks gets a lot of ground balls. But he didn't have much luck preventing baserunners from crossing the plate in April. That changed for the better in May, even as he saw a reduction in strikeouts (6.2 K/9) from April (8.3 K/9).

The changeup is without a doubt his best pitch as it generates a plethora of whiffs. But for some reason, he threw it 8% less last month than he did April. The 25-year-old isn't likely to post another sub-3.00 ERA, but if he can maintain that ground-ball tilt along with a K/9 near 7.0, an ERA near 3.50 could be within reach.