Throughout spring training, Jordan Wicks worked on developing the ability to shift away from his Plan A when it wasn’t working. Facing tough lineups or getting through difficult starts requires the skill set to reach back for a Plan B or even Plan C.
“Be prepared for that kind of stuff, because I know it’s going to come throughout the season, and there’s going to be ups and downs throughout the season,” Wicks told CHGO in Arizona. “There always are, and just to have as many weapons ready to try and counter those as I can is really the only thing I’m focused on.”
It didn’t take long for Wicks to need his backup plan.
He faced the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers in his first start of the season, and in his second outing on Saturday, he was matched up against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had scored at least five runs in each of their first 10 games of the season.
Even in the Cubs’ eventual 4-1, Wicks showed important growth.
He is known for his fastball and changeup, and that’s typically his Plan A, but he said Saturday that he didn’t have good feel for his offspeed pitch. So, he leaned on the work he had done in the offseason and spring training and used his slider instead. He threw a career-high 100 pitches; just nine of those were changeups, compared to 12 sliders and seven curveballs.
In 2023, he threw roughly seven times as many changeups as sliders. One start isn’t indicative of a trend, of course, but against the Dodgers, Wicks showed how he can use a Plan B approach when needed.
And it worked: Wicks limited the Dodgers to two runs in 4 2/3 innings, striking out seven while walking only one batter. When he left the game in the fifth inning at 100 pitches, Wicks had held the Dodgers scoreless. But José Cuas gave up a single to Max Muncy that allowed the two runners Wicks had left on base to score.
“I felt like it was a really good day for the slider. I thought it was good execution, looked good,” Wicks said. “The changeup was a little off today, it was just running a little more arm side, didn’t have a great feel for it. But it’s nice, when you work on things like that in the offseason, it gives you the ability to pivot something like that in a big game like this.”
His next start will be just the tenth in the majors for Wicks, but he is developing into the kind of pitcher who can keep tough offenses like the ones he has faced so far this season from having big games. Wicks allowed only two earned runs against the Rangers, and the two Dodgers who scored Saturday didn’t cross the plate until after he left the mound.
Wicks had to deal with a lot of traffic, too. The Dodgers got seven baserunners against him, giving Wicks a test in almost every inning. In the first, he walked leadoff hitter Mookie Betts, gave up a single to Shohei Ohtani, and then both runners advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch. But from there, Wicks got three straight outs on a flyout and a pair of swinging strikeouts.
Kiké Hernandez led off the second with a single and moved into scoring position on Miguel Rojas’s single. But again, Wicks shut things down. In the fourth, Max Muncy lead off with a double, but Wicks retired the next three batters. And then in the fifth, Ohtani hit a one out single. With his pitch count climbing close to triple digits, Wicks got Freddie Freeman to strike out before Cubs manager Craig Counsell went to the bullpen.
“Every starter goes through that,” Counsell said during spring training. “What’s next when this isn’t working? Every pitcher’s got their A plan, but you’re not going to get your A plan every outing.”
But in doing what Wicks did Saturday, by shifting from his changeup to his slider, he showed the kind of development the Cubs are looking for.
The pivot Wicks made helped yield 12 swings and misses; in two starts this season, he has 13 strikeouts. Wicks fanned a total of 24 batters in seven starts last season.
“I think it’s really impressive the amount of swing and miss he’s been able to get this year,” Nico Hoerner said. “Obviously, he’s a guy who can do a lot with the baseball, and I think he’s learning a lot about not just getting outs but missing bats. His value for us is going to be huge. He’s faced two really strong lineups so far, really impressive stuff from him.”
The beginning of the 2024 season hasn’t exactly been a soft landing for Wicks, but most of his results have been good. Some of those results, especially what he did against the Dodgers, are the product of his offseason and spring work. Growing into the kind of pitcher who can pivot to a Plan B or Plan C when needed is a part of his development, and Saturday’s start was a positive sign in that regard.
And as Wicks looks ahead to starts against less daunting lineups, his successes against the Rangers and Dodgers will help.
“I love it. Two great tests to start the season,’ he said. “But the beauty of this league, though, is you face tough tests in every lineup. That’s kind of the fun challenge of going from team to team: Each team presents its own unique challenge, and so going from outing to outing it keeps you on your toes.”
