Go look at the box score. The ump cost him a lot of pitches. He should have finished 4 innings scoreless and 9Ks. 14 balls were indicated as strikes on pitch trax. Some were borderline, but there were 3 or 4 were well inside the strike zone. In the 4th he had a strike three call well inside the box that was called a ball and that cost him 5 more pitches finally getting the player to strike out on pitch 8.
Regardless 78 pitches, he should be up to 90 pitches for his next start. Kay is only averaging something like 2 or 3 innings per start. Pearson should not have to prove he belongs when it's Anthony Kay taking starts away from him.