Was the zone a little tight tonight? Yes. In particular, was it impossible to get a low strike call, which is probably particularly pernicious for a guy who has to work down in the zone? Yes.
But, for the most part, Tsuyoshi Wada just didn’t have his best command. He didn’t get away with any of his walks, in large part because he’s a flyball guy, prone to extra base hits when they fall in. And they did.
Justin Grimm couldn’t find the zone in the 8th, which turned a close game into something of a laugher. At least Luis Valbuena had a three-run homer, which he very much needed. But then he didn’t even really flip the bat much at all. So it was kind of an empty homer.