CLEARWATER, Fla. — In a situation where Steven Brault typically struggles, he executed the pitch that he hopes will give him staying power in the major leagues.
The Pirates' left-hander was behind in the count 2-0 to Phillies first baseman Carlos Santana, a switch-hitter with 174 career home runs, with a runner on first in the third inning when Brault threw a changeup on the low-outside corner that Santana whiffed at for a strike. Santana shook his head as he walked away from the batter's box.
Although Santana reached on an error and eventually scored, the pitch — which occurred Friday afternoon in the Pirates' 5-4 victory over the Phillies at Spectrum Field — was the product of an offseason's worth of work.
In an effort to stick with the Pirates in either the rotation or bullpen, Brault focused on improving his changeup, and a new grip is producing results. He was willing to do anything to avoid another season in Triple-A.
"At Triple-A you can only learn so much," Brault told DKPittsburghSports.com. "You can keep getting better and more precise with your pitches, but when it comes to actually knowing how big league hitters think and being able to get them out more efficiently, you have to be able to face big league hitters to get that experience. That’s the next step that I need to take in order to really get better."
It's a regular practice for pitchers to change changeup grips midseason — Brault admitted he could change his again at some point in 2018 — but it's noteworthy that he is finally producing results with the pitch. While throwing bullpen sessions this offseason, Brault began using a modified grip, where he forms a circle with his thumb and index finger around the side of the ball, but his other fingers are placed the same way he throws his sinker.
It's allowed his changeup to drop from 89 to 84 mph, creating more separation from his four-seamer and sinker.
It appears Brault, 25, will get that chance to test it in the major leagues after spending most of the past two seasons at Triple-A Indianapolis. Clint Hurdle and Neal Huntington have hinted to reporters that neither Brault nor Tyler Glasnow will benefit from spending more time in the minor leagues.
With Joe Musgrove expected to fill the final rotation spot, the plan is for Brault and Glasnow to possibly join the Pirates' bullpen as long relievers. Brault is embracing that opportunity. However, he said there's still much to prove from now until opening day March 29.
His four-seam fastball was left over the plate at times Friday, and his changeup was hit twice by Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins, including an RBI double down the left-field line in the bottom of the first.
The final stat line wasn't pretty: 2 2/3 innings with three runs allowed, two of which were earned, on five hits and one strikeout. He threw 32 of his 48 pitches for strikes, and he settled in after the first inning, although his outing was cut short because he reached his pitch limit.
Hurdle described it as a "decent" outing for Brault, who entered the start having thrown four scoreless innings this spring. What stood out to Hurdle, though, was Brault's changeup. The coaching staff has stressed to Brault the importance of developing the pitch to complement his four-seam fastball, sinker and slider.
"I think it’s an important pitch," Hurdle said. "We’ve stressed it to him. I think he understands the value of it. Starting pitchers are talking that to get through a lineup three times now you have to have three pitches, at least. … The changeup looks like a fastball. He has to be able to throw it to both left-handed and right-handed hitters."
Brault's self-assessment: "I was happy with how I was able to attack the zone. I did a good job of getting ahead of hitters today, which I liked, and I think overall it was a lot of good work."
It's not easy for a pitcher with Brault's tools to attack the zone. His four-seam fastball averages 92 mph and too often he can try to nibble around the outside of the zone. But he was at his best last season when he was not afraid to attack hitters low in the zone or to occasionally throw a four-seamer that "rides," as he described it, high and outside.
It wasn't difficult for him to stick with that recipe at Triple-A. He was named the International League Pitcher of the Year last season while ranking among the league's leaders in several statistical categories, recording a 1.94 ERA (1st), .199 opponent batting average (2nd), 1.07 WHIP (4th) and 109 strikeouts (12th).
"I think when it comes to getting Triple-A hitters out I’m pretty good at it," Brault said. "Now I want to get really good at getting big league hitters out. I need to face them to grow."
He didn't seem ready for that opportunity when recalled by the Pirates last July. He recorded a 5.79 ERA in his first 18 2/3 innings, but a breakthrough came Sept. 11 at Milwaukee, when he threw six scoreless innings, allowing one hit with six strikeouts and a walk.
He accomplished that feat by attacking the strike zone and commanding his breaking pitches. That work continued for the rest of the season, too. Brault had a 3.38 ERA with an opponent batting average of .217 over his final 16 innings.
However, the overall numbers weren't pretty. His xFIP, which takes into account the league and ballpark and is measured on a similar scale as ERA, was 5.58. His ground-ball percentage was just 41.7 percent — he posted 52.4 percent at Triple-A — and right-handed hitters batted .303 against him.
Brault was aware that he needed a weapon to use against right-handers, specifically when behind in the count. Additionally, he's made a slight change to his arm slot, so he gets on top of the ball more — a move to help him stay low in the strike zone. Now, he wants those changes to help him stick with the Pirates beyond spring training.
"Instead of trying to find a grip that threw a changeup perfectly on the first throw I found a grip that felt really comfortable, kept throwing it, kept throwing it and kept throwing it until I got the movement and depth I wanted on it," he explained. "There’s still work to be done on it but it is vastly improved."