Lackey (4-6) gave up five runs on seven hits -- including two homers -- while striking out six without a walk over six innings in Wednesday's loss to Miami.

EDGE Analysis

Now 38 years old, Lackey seems to finally be hitting a wall. He's been giving up homers like it's going out of style -- 16 of them in his 12 starts this year, a rate of more than two per nine innings. Lackey's velocity has ticked down, and not so coincidentally his hard-hit rate is at a career high. We knew to expect some regression after experienced good luck last year, but this season has been much worse than anyone predicted. On the bright side, Lackey has elevated his strikeout rate, which isn't usually something that pitchers do when they're fading out of the league. His track record suggests that he can still bounce back, with his next opportunity coming Monday on the road against the Mets.