Davies relaxed and ready
New routine helped starting pitcher
Things weren’t going well in the first inning at home last season, so Zach Davies knew he had to change something.
Baseball, as they say, is a game of adjustments.
The Milwaukee Brewers’ wiry righthander figured out a different pre-game routine that gave him more time to calm down and relax after warming up in the bullpen, and he saw immediate results. Davies kicked himself for not figuring it out sooner but better late than never.
“The first inning or two got the best of me early on in the year,” he recalled. “I kind of settled in once I had the same routine and timing, giving myself time to relax and not being so anxious for the game. It was probably late July or early August.
“I started earlier (in the bullpen) and gave myself close to an ‘inning’ break in between getting off the mound in the bullpen and starting the game. It was just a way to get my mind right, relax
and re-focus on the way I pitch my best, instead of coming out there too aggressive and anxious, and trying to overthrow. I think it settled me down and helped me out.”
Davies will use that same routine Monday afternoon for one of the most prestigious starts of his still budding career. Brewers manager Craig Counsell tabbed him to pitch the home opener against St. Louis at Miller Park, well aware of the pomp and circumstance that can derail an unprepared pitcher on that adrenaline-filled day.
All was well that ended well for Davies last season as he finished with a 17-9 record and 3.90 ERA. He was one of the top winners in the majors, tying for the most starts made (33) in the National League and leading the club with 191 1/3 innings pitched.
Not too bad for a finesse pitcher who worked that entire campaign at age 24.
“Zach feels like a veteran but he’s 25 years old and has two full seasons under his belt,” Counsell said. “I talk about guys a lot in that sweet spot of experience and youth and age, and I think Zach is in a spot to take a step forward.”
To take that step forward, Davies is determined to put behind him those firstinning woes (6.27 ERA in 2017, highest of any inning he pitched) as well as crazy home-away splits. Counsell dismissed those facts and figures as mere paperwork but it was impossible to dismiss how much better Davies pitched away from Miller Park, which has favored hitters since opening in 2001.
In 17 starts at home, Davies went 8-7 with a 5.82 ERA, compared to 9-2, 2.04 in 16 games on the road. But, as an indication that he started to figure out what he was doing wrong, home or away, Davies posted a 4.90 ERA in the first half and 2.87 ERA after the break.
Live and learn.
“Early on, I kind of shot myself in the foot by throwing way too many pitches, not going deeper into ball games,” said Davies, who averaged 5 1/3 innings per start in the first half and 6 1/3 innings afterward. “So, I should have been over 200 innings, in my mind.
“I picked it up as the year went along and tried to make the most of it. But I went into the off-season, and spring training, with a little different plan. Trying to get myself ready to open the year (strong) right out of the gate compared to the slow starts of the last couple of years.”
During the first “players weekend” last season in which major leaguers wore alternate jerseys with their favorite nicknames on the back, Davies was “Bat Boy.” It was a perfect fit for the 6-foot, 157pounder with the countenance of a choir boy, who likely will be carded at bars until he’s 50.
Beyond that youthful appearance, Davies gets the job done on the field in a different manner in an age when velocity reigns supreme. He carves hitters up with kindness, using a fastball just south of 90 mph, a 86 mph cutter, curveball in the low 70s and deceptive changeup that often causes hitters to cork screw themselves into the batter’s box.
When commanding his pitches, Davies is a thing of art on the mound, a pitching Picasso of sorts.
“Zach is a pitch maker,” Counsell said. “That’s what he is. He has less margin for error than some guys, maybe, but his skill is he is able to throw four pitches in precise locations.
“I think he has the ability to pitch well early in games and pitch well early in seasons. Every pitcher is looking for a certain feel, and Zach is no different.”
Davies scuffled against the Cardinals last season, posting a 5.87 ERA in three outings with a 1.826 WHIP. So, given the challenge of facing St. Louis in the home opener, followed by an assignment against the powerful Chicago Cubs, Davies has prepared himself for the days to come.
“It’s a challenge, going straight to the division games, being able to pitch against the Cardinals and Cubs,” said Davies, acquired from Baltimore in exchange for outfielder Gerardo Parra on July 31, 2015, the last big trade by former general manager Doug Melvin.
“I’m always up for the challenge. When you have competition, it brings out the best in you. I feel that way about myself. You focus a little more when you face the best lineups in the game. It’s a good way to open the year.”
Davies was a cheerleader during the Brewers’ season-opening sweep in San Diego, watching Chase Anderson, Jhoulys Chacín and Brent Suter make starts. If lined up in actual order of accomplishment and talent, Davies would be No. 2 behind Anderson while Jimmy Nelson recovers from shoulder surgery.
But there’s a certain prestige in starting the home opener, and Counsell bestowed that honor on Davies, making that decision fairly early in spring camp.
“It’s a little confidence boost being out there on Day 1 (at home),” Davies said. “It’s an exciting time. Baseball is back (in Milwaukee). For the true fans out there, they love it. It’s a fun day for both fans and players.
“It’s another step in your career. You know everybody’s itching to come back after last year.”
The Brewers were better than expected in 2017, and Davies had a say in that. They expect to do even better this season, and so does he.
For both team and pitcher, the starting gun at home goes off Monday at 1:10 p.m.