CHICAGO – Jordan Lyles wasn’t very analytical when he reached the major leagues as a 20-year-old.
He debuted with the Astros on May 31, 2011, a little less than two years after they had selected him in the supplemental first round of the amateur draft from Hartsville (S.C.) High School, where he was also a coveted football recruit as a wide receiver.
Back then, Lyles’ idea of a game plan was simple. He took the mound looking to throw hard, harder and even harder yet.
“I wanted to be one of those guys who threw 70-percent fastballs,” Lyles told me during spring training. “I thought that was going to be the key to my success. I was a hard thrower coming out of high school and in the minor leagues, so I thought that would be how I would have success in the big leagues.”
Except Lyles found something out once he got to Houston. Most major-league hitters can hit a fastball and Lyles’ heater wasn’t good enough to overpower lineups.
Lyles admits he was slow to learn that lesson, though. He continued to try to be a power pitcher even after moving on to the Rockies and then the Padres. Through the 2017 season, he had a 28-48 career record with a 5.43 ERA and 1.48 WHIP.
Finally, it started to sink in last season.
Lyles spent most of 2018 as a relief pitcher with the Padres and Brewers and his numbers weren’t exactly overwhelming. He was 3-4 with a 4.11 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 35 games, including eight starts.
However, Lyles had a bit of an epiphany. He changed the grip on his curveball with the Padres. Then after the Brewers claimed him off waivers in August, their analytics staff showed Lyles that he was more effective when he mixed his pitches, especially when he threw curves.
Lyles took the numbers to heart and the Pirates, another team that relies heavily on sabermetrics, are reaping the benefits so far this season after signing him to a one-year, $2.05-million contract as a free agent in December.
The 28-year-old was dominant Wednesday night in his second start of the season, holding the high-scoring Cubs to one run and three hits in six innings while matching a career high with 10 strikeouts and walking only one in a 5-2 victory at Wrigley Field, improving the Pirates record to 6-4.
“There was conviction behind every pitch,” Clint Hurdle said. “It was a really professional performance. The punchouts … he was really on top of his game. It was fun to watch.”
The conditions weren’t much fun as the game-time temperature was 40 degrees with the wind howling at 20 mph in from right field. The wind seemed to get stronger as the game went on.
Yet Lyles said he was fine with the cold because he found a warm spot near one of the dugout heaters between innings. And with the way he was mowing down the Cubs, he didn’t spend a lot of time on the mound.
Beside giving up a solo home run in the fifth inning to Jason Heyward that enabled the Cubs to cut the gap to 3-1, Lyles was only threatened only one other time. In the third, the Cubs put runners on second and third with none out but Lyles struck out losing pitcher Yu Darvish and Daniel Descalso then induced Kris Bryant to fly out.
Lyles finished his night by striking out Javier Baez to end the sixth inning.
The most impressive part of Lyles’ performance was the strikeouts – he had 10 in just 87 pitches. He fanned just two last Thursday when he held the Reds scoreless over five innings and 80 pitches at PNC Park in his Pirates’ debut.
Many of the strikeouts came because of how well Lyles mixed his pitches. Four of the punchouts came on curveballs, three on four-seamers, two on changueps and one on a slider.
That would have been unfathomable just two years ago
“I’ve made some adjustments,” he said. "We started figuring out what sequences worked best with that curveball, my best pitch, last year. So we're taking that into 2019 and we're off to a decent start so far."
He certainly is and, at least two weeks into the season, it appears the Pirates may have found a bargain. Lyles has given up only one run and six hits while striking out 12 and walking two.
“It’s just 11 innings,” Lyles cautioned.
True, but it’s still hard not be impressed, especially when the Pirates looked silly and cheap in December when they dumped Ivan Nova’s $9.1-million salary on the White Sox and signed Lyles to take his place. The move was widely panned at the time by both the media and people inside the game.
Yet the Pirates saw something in Lyles that made them believers.
“There’s a wealth of experience he has gained over his career so far and he’s a mature man now,” said Hurdle when I asked if Lyles might be a late bloomer. “He’s seen a lot and he’s done a lot. He’s had some success and he’s had some adversity. He’s had to fight for a lot.
“It’s put him in a hungry position where he doesn’t take things for granted and he’s focused. He’s quiet-spoken but he’s very intense. Timing’s a lot of it. In fact, we use this all the time – you’ve gotta be yourself, you’ve gotta know yourself and you’ve gotta like yourself. I think, at the age of 28, he’s gotten to those areas.”
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE GOOD
Felipe Vazquez was asked to get a five-out save and converted it while throwing 21 of 28 pitches for strikes.
Vazquez replaced Keone Kela in the eighth inning with the Pirates leading 5-2. The Cubs had runners on second and third with one out.
Vazquez escaped the jam by striking out Kyle Schwarber then getting Willson Contreras to line out to right field. It appeared off the bat that Contreras was going to have a two-run double, but the stiff wind held the ball up and JB Shuck made the catch.
Heyward singled to lead off the ninth, but Vazquez then struck out Albert Almora Jr., Mark Zagunis and David Bote in succession to earn his third save in four opportunities:
“It played out really well for us,” Hurdle said. “It’s not the way you’re ever going to draw it up, for him to come in that early, but he showed he’s special. To do what he was able to do against very professional hitters, that’s never not fun to watch.”
It was the fourth time Vazquez pitched at least 1 2/3 innings for a save since taking over as the closer during the 2017 season.
THE BAD
Kela put the Pirates in a jam when he retired only one of the four batters he faced after coming on to start the eighth with a 5-1 lead. With one out, Bryant singled, and Anthony Rizzo walked before Javier Baez hit an RBI double.
That was all for Kela. He has allowed four runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings over six appearances for a 7.71 ERA.
The Pirates are counting him to be the primary set-up man to Vazquez after acquiring the right-hander from the Rangers in a trade last July.
THE OTHER SIDE
Darvish allowed five runs (four earned) and five hits in five innings while falling to 0-2. He struck out four and had no walks.
The lack of bases on balls was a welcome sight for the Cubs. Darvish, signed to a six-year, $126-million contract prior to last season, had walked 11 in just 6 2/3 innings this season prior to Wednesday.
"He knew where the ball was going and he had really good stuff tonight," manager Joe Maddon said. "It seemed like he may have found some things tonight regarding his delivery, the way the ball was coming out of his hand."
Darvish was 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA in eight starts last season before undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery.
THE DATA
• Lyles' other 10-strikeout games came on June 12, 2013 for the Astros against the Mariners in seven innings, and last May 15 for the Padres against the Rockies in 7 1/3 innings.
• Francisco Cervelli hit a solo home run in the first inning to open the scoring and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, lifting his career average at Wrigley Field to .321 with five doubles, six homers and 30 RBIs in 31 games.
• Starling Marte, who belted a two-run homer in the third — his first of the season — has reached base in eight of his nine games this year despite a .225 batting average. He was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a stolen base.
• Erik Gonzalez went 2-for-4 for his first multi-hit game of the season. He is hitting .207.
• Adam Frazier’s seven-game hitting streak came to an end as he was 0-for-4 with a walk.
THE INJURIES
• Jameson Taillon, right-handed pitcher, has shown no concussion symptoms after being struck in the head by a line drive Monday. He is on schedule to pitch Sunday against the Nationals in Washington.
• Elias Diaz, catcher, is recovering from a virus and has had his rehab assignment moved to Triple-A Indianapolis from Bradenton. He is 3-for-7 with two doubles and two RBIs in two games for Indy. In two games with Bradenton, Diaz was 2-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs, one stolen base, two walks and one strikeout.
• Gregory Polanco, outfielder, is recovering from left shoulder surgery and is on a rehab assignment with high-A Bradenton. He is 1-for-10 with two RBIs, three walks and one strikeout in three games.
• Dovydas Neverauskas, right-handed reliever, is recovering from a strained left oblique and has had his rehab assignment moved to Indianapolis from Bradenton. He pitched a scoreless inning in both his appearances with the Marauders.
• Corey Dickerson, outfielder, has a strained right shoulder. The expectation is for him to be back in late April/early May.
• Lonnie Chisenhall, outfielder is out with a broken right hand and is taking batting practice without restriction.
• Kyle Crick, right-handed reliever, is out with a right triceps tightness and played catch for the first time Wednesday.
• Jose Osuna, first baseman/outfielder, is in extended spring training and is participating in all baseball activities. He is expected to begin playing in simulated games next week.
ARCHER SUSPENSION
• Chris Archer was unavailable for comment, but he is still scheduled to pitch Saturday against the Nationals in Washington, D.C., which would support various reports that Archer will appeal his five-game suspension.
THE SCHEDULE
The three-game series concludes at 8:05 tomorrow night with Joe Musgrove (1-0, 0.00) starting against left-hander Jose Quintana (0-1, 10.29). I will be on the coverage.
THE COVERAGE
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