Life as a big-league reliever means dealing with tough stretches.
The ups and downs can test any pitcher, and as right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn has experienced lately, those challenges can be amplified as he continues to get acclimated to his new organization. Since the Cubs acquired the 28-year-old from the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline, Zeferjahn has surrendered seven runs (six earned) and four walks while striking out nine in 9 1/3 innings for a 5.79 ERA and 74 ERA+.
His performance has, to this point, been a notable contrast to the numbers he put up for the Angels , featuring a 3.66 ERA, 112 ERA+ and 75 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings. At the time the Cubs traded for Zeferjahn, he was riding a nearly two-month stretch with a 44.8% strikeout rate and 1.13 ERA.
"It's not necessarily alarming, but just haven't been as sharp or made the pitches that I need to help the team succeed is the biggest thing," Zeferjahn told the Tribune. "Everything's still there, and it's just kind of a click off. We've been trying to figure it out and get everything under control because we're just kind of one pitch away each time. The fastball's been good for me, and it's been getting hit around a little bit, and just haven't been in the zone as much.
"Trying to make changes on the go, and obviously a lot of changes, it's a lot. It's a lot different. So it's just getting settled in and hopefully getting back on track."
Zeferjahn's most recent outing was encouraging. He struck out two of the four batters he faced in 1 1/3 innings and his eight pitches that were either called strikes or whiffs were the second-most in his 10 appearances for the Cubs.
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"When you're in a major-league bullpen, you have to pitch — there's no hiding guys," manager Craig Counsell said Monday. "You've got to pitch, and you're going to get your opportunities. And ultimately every reliever goes through stretches where they're going to get scored on and maybe they're not going to pitch well. They're going to make mistakes, and the best thing you can do is get them back out there.
"Ryan, he's been a little scattered since he's been here. I think he's really close. I think we can get him there."
Zeferjahn believes his success is rooted in the mechanics of his bottom half and, beyond getting his mechanics in sync, he is trying to spot his fastballs more rather than "just throwing them" as he had in the past with the Angels.
"It's a little bit of everything, a little bit of fatigue going through those tough stretches, and hopefully getting over my second hump of the year of tough stretches," Zeferjahn said. "It's like, get through this and get back on track and knowing what I'm capable of and showing them and helping the team win."
Zeferjahn largely relies on a four-pitch mix — sweeper, four-seam fastball, sinker and slider — with a curveball he tosses rarely (3% usage this year). His sweeper (38%) and four-seamer (35%) are the right-hander's best two pitches, but for them to be the most effective, Zeferjahn needs to incorporate his sinker and slider more, pitching coach Tommy Hottovy told the Tribune.
"The thing that stands out the most right away is whenever you get a new pitcher, especially the catchers, they want to use your best pitchers the most often, and his two best pitchers are the sweeper and the four-seamer, but those play up when you mix everything," Hottovy explained. "We talk about pitching off your strengths. His strengths are the sweeper and fastball, but still finding a way to mix the other pitches to keep hitters honest.
"And for him, when he thinks about using the other two pitches, he doesn't feel like he's just a two-pitch pitcher. If one day the fastball doesn't feel great, in his mind, he's still got three other pitches to throw."
That requires the Cubs' catchers, Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya , to understand that's how Zeferjahn tends to operate mentally, whereas other two-pitch heavy pitchers take more of a when-in-doubt-throw-these-two-pitches approach.
"He's a little different than that, so I think it's important that part of getting to know guys and what makes them tick is understanding that's how he views himself a lot and when he has four pitches to utilize, he doesn't feel like he's in a box," Hottovy said.
The Cubs are trying to keep things simple for Zeferjahn. Namely, emphasizing the basics like how he sets up his feet on the mound and where he's positioned on the rubber. Then, it all comes down to body direction for his 6-foot-5 frame. He moves east-west well, allowing him to naturally create good spin. When trying to put everything together and get Zeferjahn rolling again, sometimes even the routine of catch play can be an opportunity to hone his mechanics.
"For us, it's just trying to keep it very simple for him to make sure that he is very linear in his delivery," Hottovy said, "and that he is firing at the right time."
