Jordan Hicks has been better than he was earlier in the season with San Francisco, but he's been regressing a bit lately.
Since he was acquired in June and up until August 5th, he was pitching with a 3.36 ERA. Now, he's become a bigger problem. In his last three appearances, he's posted an ERA of 12.27 with five earned runs, with two home runs given up in the process. In his totals with Boston, he's posted a 6.23 ERA with only 11 strikeouts, eight walks, and a 1.692 WHIP this season.
Hicks is still trying to figure himself out, because the Giants immediately tried him as a starter, albeit unsuccessfully. He was a starter, but was a bullpen pitcher at heart. He was okay in 2024 as a starter, posting a 4.10 ERA with 96 strikeouts.
The problem with him is his command and control of his pitches. He's a fiery pitcher, and that's why the Red Sox organization loves him. But he can't locate his pitches.
It was all over the drawing board when they acquired him in the first place. His sinker is amazing, but that's when he's able to control it. But because that's his best pitch (22 Ks with the sinker this season), and he's not confident enough to use his secondary pitches, thus brings the problem he has right now.
This is a widespread problem with pitchers, not just with Hicks. When pitchers are having a hard time, it will affect their entire season. That's how much weight pitchers put on their shoulders. It takes a lot of time to figure themselves out and become what they were before, and with Hicks, this is no different. He needs to find his identity as a pitcher, and until he does so, he'll remain a liability to the team.