Henry Owens' fastball sat in the 87 mph range Friday and just 15 of his 34 fastballs were strikes, according to Brooks Baseball.

Owens' fastball sat around 87 mph Friday and just 15 of his 34 fastballs were strikes, according to Brooks Baseball.

Analysis:

Watching Owens struggle to command his fastball is nothing new, but seeing his velocity dip to the upper 80s is worrisome. Maybe we can chalk it up to a cool April night, but if a pitcher throws in the 80s, he'd better have pinpoint command, and that's not exactly Owens' strong suit. He essentially ditched the heater Friday night in favor of a mix of curveball, slider and changeup -- pitches that are considered better than his fastball, but not nearly as effective when he isn't commanding. He's labored through command issues, it seems, nearly every season going back to 2012, but appeared to have solved it last summer. Those command issues are back and will prevent him from sticking in the major league rotation if he can't sort them out.