How changing one pitch is paying dividends for Wei-Yin Chen and the Marlins’ bullpen
It’s a moment in the Miami Marlins’ series-closing loss to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday that easily could be overlooked.
After starting pitcher Trevor Richards exited the game following just five innings on the mound, Marlins manager Don Mattingly handed the ball to Wei-Yin Chen, his 33-year-old left-handed starter-turned-reliever who has gone through his share of struggles over the past two seasons since returning from a partial UCL tear that held him out of the 2017 season.
Two innings and 32 pitches later, Chen walked off the mound unscathed. No runs allowed. The game still close.
Another step in the right direction after two disastrous outings early in the year had him overthinking his new role. He had to adjust to the uncertainty of when he would make his next appearance, something he didn’t have a problem with the first seven years of his MLB career as a starter.
He also had to refine his pitch selection, knowing the five-pitch mix he had as a starter wouldn’t necessarily generate the same success out of the bullpen.
The first problem started to fix itself with time as he adjusted to a new routine.
He started to fix the second with help pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. Part of the solution: Changing one pitch in his repertoire.
Out went his slider. In came a cutter.
“In the past, I’d tried to be too fine with the slider, but it wasn’t there this year,” Chen said through his interpreter. “So I’m throwing the cutter instead. I’ve been using it more and more.”
So far, so good.
It has helped right the ship after two rough outings earlier in the year — that 10-run shellacking over two innings against the Cincinnati Reds on April 9 that was followed up five days later with Chen giving up a go-ahead two-run home run in the Marlins’ 14-inning loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Since those two disastrous outings, Chen has given up just one earned run over eight innings of work, a streak that also includes six consecutive scoreless innings over his last four appearances.
His earned run average is now down to 9.69 after soaring as high as 24.75 after that Reds outing.
“I try not to worry about all those stats,” Chen said. “Now, when I get on the mound, I try to find a comfortable way to pitch. At the early part of the season, I was worried about all kinds of stuff in my head. Now, I just want to keep things simple.”
Chen’s new cutter has similar metrics to his slider. It averages about 85 mph and it is getting opponents to swing and miss about 20 percent of the time.
The slight difference in how he grips the ball, however, gives it a higher spin rate, which impacts the trajectory of the ball as it approaches the plate and generally results in more whiffs.
In his outing against the Cubs on Thursday, Chen threw his cutter 11 times, eight for strikes.
“He’s showing up and he’s making himself valuable to us, from the standpoint of using him in different areas,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.
And if Chen can stay consistent, it opens up more roles for the Marlins’ bullpen.
Miami has both Chen and right-handed reliever Austin Brice who can handle long-inning duties while the combination of Nick Anderson, Adam Conley, Tyler Kinley, Tayron Guerrero, Sergio Romo and Jose Quijada (with the team after Drew Steckenrider went on the Injured List with right elbow inflammation) are best suited for one-inning appearances when possible.
If Chen proves he can keep up the efficiency, it opens up the door for Mattingly to utilize him in more situational-type matchups against left-handed hitters later in the game in addition to his multiple-inning stints.
“The more outs you get,” Mattingly said, “it seems like the more likely you are to give the guy the ball.”
.JPG)