Drew Smyly tosses a gem to lift Phillies over Giants in series opener
The lefty allowed four hits and struck out five batters in his second solid start for the Phils.
Nights like this used to be common for Drew Smyly.
Pitch into the seventh inning? No problem. He did it in nearly one-third of his starts from 2014 to 2016. Don't give up any runs? Sure thing. He held an opponent scoreless nine times in that span. It's the reason Smyly was the centerpiece of the package that the Tampa Bay Rays received in a trade-deadline deal for David Price five years ago. And it explains why the lefty was tapped to pitch for Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
But then came the elbow injury, and Tommy John surgery, and two seasons’ worth of rehab, and that unsightly 8.42 earned-run average in 13 games for the Texas Rangers this season, and ... and ...
Imagine, then, how it must have felt for Smyly to walk off the field at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night after tossing seven scoreless innings in a 4-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
“I feel like a whole new pitcher out there,” he said, beaming.
And as much as Smyly needed that, the Phillies needed it even more. They hadn't gotten at least seven innings in a game from a starter other than Aaron Nola since Zach Eflin gave them eight way back on June 12.
On the eve of the trade deadline, with starting pitching remaining the Phillies' most profound need, a starting pitcher led them to a big win in the opener of a three-game series that could have wild-card implications.
Let that sink in for a moment. It doesn't happen often.
“We feel pretty poised to go on a run here,” said Rhys Hoskins, who slammed a two-run homer. “It just feels a little bit different after these couple wins.”
How so?
“It just seems like things are starting to click a little bit,” Hoskins said.
Amazing, isn’t it, what a quality start will do for the psyche?
When Smyly allowed one run in six innings in Pittsburgh on July 21, it was chalked up even by Phillies officials as one promising start. Now Smyly has offered a companion performance. He allowed four hits and one walk, struck out five batters, and went seven innings for the first time since Aug. 15, 2016.
He provided a reason to believe he might finally be coming around to being the pitcher he used to be before the injury.
“He’s had a lot of adversity in the last two calendar years,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “He’s been kicked and he’s been down. He’s been in the minor leagues. And he’s battled back. He’s given us two really strong starts. Exactly what we needed at just the right time.”
For the second consecutive start, Smyly leaned harder on his cutter and threw it inside effectively. He uncorked 37 curveballs and got nine swings and misses. He mixed in his fastball, locating it effectively.
In short, he’s putting to use the advice he received from the Phillies last month when, after getting released by the Rangers, he spurned their offer of a minor-league contract to sign with the Brewers. After three triple-A starts with Milwaukee, Smyly opted out and signed a big-league deal with the pitching-starved Phillies, who handed him a rotation spot on the spot.
“[It’s] just pitch usage, just sequencing and being able to tunnel certain pitches off each other,” Smyly said, explaining the adjustments he has made. “I think I was just a little too predictable in Texas and I wasn’t throwing strikes is the main thing. I was getting behind a lot of guys and not limiting damage. Now I feel like I’m able to get ahead, I’m able to keep the hitters guessing, and it’s making all my pitchers better.”
When he finally yielded to newly minted setup man Nick Pivetta in the eighth inning, the Phillies held a four-run lead. Pivetta gave up solo home runs to Brandon Belt and Stephen Vogt to make things interesting, but closer Hector Neris pitched a scoreless ninth inning and the Phillies improved to 2 1/2 games better than the Giants in a bunched-up wild-card race.
The question now, of course, is whether Smyly’s success is sustainable. He’s slated to start Sunday against the Chicago White Sox.
“We’ve seen two starts. I’m not sure what this is going to look like two, three, four starts from now,” Kapler said. “But it’s definitely encouraging.”
Said Smyly: “I feel like I’ve made some changes and figured out some things mechanically and in-game, and now I’m just trying to get on a roll and keep the hitters off balance and go with it.”