CHICAGO — Will Warren changed his script on the mound Friday. The gamble paid off. He threw a career-high 24 changeups and shut out the Cubs over 6 2/3 innings in the Yankees 2-0 win at Wrigley Field.
Warren leaned on his secondary pitches far more than usual. The plan was aimed at a Cubs lineup full of left-handed hitters. He scattered four hits and did not walk a batter.
He struck out seven on 88 pitches. It was the longest scoreless start of his career. He earned his eighth win.
The turnaround was sharp. Five days earlier, Warren allowed six runs in three innings against Philadelphia. That was the shortest start of his season for the Yankees right-hander.
It was Warren’s first career night with no runs in more than six innings.
A different mix against a lefty-heavy lineup
The change was in the plan. Rather than lean on his sinker, Warren buried changeups beneath left-handed hitters’ barrels, drawing weak contact and awkward swings.
The pitch drew weak contact and awkward swings. When the Cubs adjusted, Warren elevated his fastball. He used it to finish at-bats.
The pace mattered too. Warren worked quickly and attacked the zone. Chicago rarely settled in, and the Cubs did not score against the Yankees right-hander.
Warren said the outing was a return to his strengths. He had drifted away from them during a rough stretch.
“Coming in, I felt like I got away from it,” Warren said of his offspeed pitches. “Just going back to who I am and throwing nasty stuff up there, honestly. Throwing it for strikes and trying to get them swinging at stuff they might not necessarily want to.”
A mental reset behind the breakthrough
Warren traced the outing to his mindset as much as his pitches. He said recent starts had become a grind.
“At the beginning of the year, that was kind of how I approached every day,” Warren said. “Then you start struggling a little bit and hanging on every pitch, wondering what’s going to happen next.”
He let go of that on Friday. He said he simply pitched and enjoyed it.
“Today I just went out there and whatever happens, happens. I’m going to have fun,” Warren said.
He summed up the day in one line. It captured a feeling that had gone missing.
“I think I had fun today for the first time in a long time,” Warren said.
The result was a lift for the Yankees. Warren had scuffled through July, and the shutout was his cleanest outing in weeks. It came against a team bound for the postseason race.
Boone, Counsell and Happ credit the secondary stuff
Manager Aaron Boone pointed to the changeup and the plan. He said the Yankees right-hander was at his best when he trusted his offspeed pitches.
“The secondary stuff was where it was at for him today,” Boone said. “He did such a good job spinning the ball, throwing the changeup, then using the fastball enough to keep them honest. That’s what he’s capable of when he’s on his game.”
Cubs manager Craig Counsell saw the same thing from the other dugout. He described a pitcher in full control.
“I think it was just a pitcher kind of at his peak, doing all the things that he is really good at,” Counsell said. “He was able to throw offspeed whenever he wanted. His fastball was well-located in big counts. He pitched a good game.”
Chicago outfielder Ian Happ faced the Yankees starter from the batter’s box. He said the early-count offspeed strikes set the tone.
“He threw his offspeed stuff for a strike early in counts and just did a good job of keeping us off-balance,” Happ said. “It must have been a big part of their game plan.”
Warren’s name surfaces in trade talk
The offense gave Warren just enough. Amed Rosario broke up a perfect-game bid by Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga with a two-out home run in the fourth inning, a drive Statcast projected at 450 feet. Spencer Jones added a two-out shot in the fifth for a 2-0 lead.
Warren’s strong outing comes at a pointed moment for the Yankees. With the deadline on Monday, his name has come up in trade talk. The club has a surplus of starting pitching, and rival teams have called.
Reporting this week indicated the Yankees could make Warren or left-hander Ryan Weathers available in a deal. The depth has grown as Carlos Rodon nears a return and Clarke Schmidt works back from injury.
The San Diego Padres are one possible fit. They are seeking young, controllable starters, and Warren fits that profile. He could headline or anchor a package for bullpen help.
There is also a case to keep him. Warren is controllable and cheap, and a healthy Yankees rotation could push him to the playoff bullpen. Friday’s start was a reminder of his upside at the worst time to sell low.
For now, Warren remains a Yankees starter. Whether he stays one past Monday is an open question. His answer on the mound Friday was hard to ignore.
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