Nelson: Recent numbers don’t tell the story

CHICAGO — Jimmy Nelson was adamant Wednesday, even in the wake of a 6-1 loss to the Cubs in which he threw 49 pitches in a five-run first inning, and even as his streak without throwing a pitch in a sixth inning entered its second month.

None of this, Nelson argued, is as bad as it looks.

“The surface stuff over the last month may not have looked good,” Nelson said, “but there’s a lot of good things underneath.”

The surface stuff is not good. Against the Cubs, Nelson surrendered six earned runs on six hits in his sixth straight outing of five or fewer innings. His first inning began with a walk and a hit batsman — Nelson had both hitters in two-strike counts — and continued with a pair of well-placed RBI singles followed by Jorge Soler’s booming three-run home run.

Two innings later, Nelson surrendered a two-out, two-strike homer to veteran catcher David Ross with opposing pitcher Jon Lester on deck. Nelson walked two batters, hit two and, despite retiring the final seven men he faced, was out of the game by the start of the sixth because he’d thrown 99 pitches.

In his last six starts, …

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