Jeremy Hellickson, like the Phillies, continues to struggle in loss to Red Sox

In the bottom of the second inning Wednesday night, with the Phillies already facing a 5-0 deficit, one thing was clear: Their most expensive player isn't living up to his price tag.

In a 7-3 loss to the Red Sox, pitcher Jeremy Hellickson allowed six runs. His typical consistency and aggression was replaced by pitches that hung over the plate, allowing hard-hit balls to give Boston an early lead that the Phillies couldn't overcome.

"He was trying to establish his fastball, but he left too many pitches out over the middle of the plate and it cost him," head coach Pete Mackanin said. "He relies heavily on his command, especially of his fastball. I'd like to see him regain the command of his pitch that he's had in the past."

This performance has become typical for Hellickson, who has fallen into a mid-season slump after a solid 2016. After Hellickson started 32 games and produced a respectable 3.71 last season, the Phillies pounced, signing him to a $17.2 million one-year contract for the 2017 season, a deal that made the pitcher the highest paid player on the team.

But Hellickson hasn't been throwing strikes this season (4.13 strikeouts per nine pitches) and poor results have followed. Hellickson hasn't struck out more than five batters in any of his last 16 starts, a dry streak that stretches all the way to September 2016. So far this season, he's notched the fewest strikeouts per innings pitched of any starter in the league.

"It doesn't bother me when things are going good," Hellickson said. "But I think that the life of my fastball is not where it was, it's just coming out a little different."

In a game like Wednesday's, Hellickson's performance dug a hole that the Phillies couldn't escape. He gave up five runs in the first two innings, settling down in the next two innings before allowing a solo homer in the fifth. In six innings, he allowed nine hits and only struck out two.

Hellickson attributes his struggles in part to the team's losing streak, which puts pressure on pitchers to perform perfectly on the mound. It's a pattern that he hopes to snap as the team focuses on breaking out of its recent slump.

"I pride myself on being consistent and giving us a chance to win every night," Hellickson said. "I haven't done that too often in the last seven or eight starts. I haven't had too much fun the last seven or eight starts. It'll turn around but it's rough right now."