Inside the Astros

Was Houston Astros Starter France Tipping Pitches Against Cubs?

Houston Astros starter J.P. France struggled in his third outing of his MLB career. Could tipping pitches have been the culprit?
Kade Kistner|
Was Houston Astros Starter France Tipping Pitches Against Cubs?
Was Houston Astros Starter France Tipping Pitches Against Cubs?

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Houston Astros

Being a Major League starting pitcher is hard. It's even harder if the opposing batter knows what's coming. 

That could have been the case for Houston Astros starter J.P. France on Wednesday evening against the Chicago Cubs. 

After two strong first outings to start his MLB career, France gave up six runs in 4.2 innings pitched. That included three home runs, two walks and saw his ERA rise to 4.11 over 15.1 innings pitched. 

It raised the question: was he tipping his pitches?

“We’ll have to look at video to see if I was tipping or something," said France. "I could talk about that all I want. At the end of the day, we pulled one out and got the sweep. It was a good game.”

France is right, at the end of the day the Tulane-product kept his team in it enough to help them complete a walk-off win over the Cubs. 

But Kyle Tucker won't always be there to bail him out in the bottom of the ninth. 

Best case scenario is France figures out how or if he was tipping and rectify the issue ahead of his next start.

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Kade Kistner
KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.

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