'It's up to me to change the results': Cubs' pitcher Smyly believes better times are ahead

Strike up a conversation with Cubs starter Drew Smyly and there's one thing you notice right away: He's so laid-back and chill.

His voice is always level, smooth and easy. There's no angst or irritation, even when he's fielding tough questions about a recent tough stretch.

But Smyly's personality does a total 180 when on the mound.

There a fire burns. And deeply.

"He's very mild-mannered publicly and how he walks around the locker room," said manager David Ross. "But he's sneaky intense (and) a hardheaded competitor.

"He wants to dominate when he's out there."

Smyly was doing exactly that the first third of the season, going 7-2 with a 1.78 ERA from his second start to his 10th. Opponents were hitting .182, getting on base just 22.3% of the time and had only 5 home runs in 50⅔ innings.

Since late May, however, it's been a struggle.

Over his last 10 outings, Smyly is 3-7 with a 7.08 ERA. Opponents are hitting a robust .327, getting on base almost 40% of the time and have cranked 11 HRs in 48⅓ IP. Two of those homers - by the Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton and the Cardinals' Nolan Gorman - soared 445-plus feet.

Ross tried mixing things up Saturday against St. Louis by starting relief pitcher Michael Fulmer and bringing Smyly out of the bullpen. The strategy would have worked - if only Smyly had fielded better and executed a key pitch to Gorman.

In the third inning, he failed to produce an out on two ground balls hit back to the mound, the second of which could have been a double play if the throw wasn't high and wide of second base.

In the fifth, Smyly was one pitch from a 1-2-3 inning, but Gorman turned on a 93-mph pitch at the top of the zone and drilled it 445 feet into the right-field bleachers.

The Cardinals would tack on another run in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead, and Smyly's final line was: 3⅔ IP, 6H, 5R, 4ER, 1BB, 5SO.

"I could have thrown the ball better, but at the same time I made a lot of really good pitches," Smyly said the next day. "Didn't really get it to go my way. I mean I cost myself four outs with back-to-back double plays that I didn't turn in (my) first inning.

"Thought I settled down pretty good. ... I'm always going to try to find positives and the silver lining, and there were a lot of those."

Since the All-Star break, Smyly's made a concerted effort to attack the strike zone and be more aggressive. He's done that and walked just two in 9⅔ innings.

The problem is he can't seem to get that key out when he needs it.

"I went through a little weird stretch end of June, beginning of July where I was walking people," Smyly said. "I wasn't throwing the ball very well. Since then everything's trending really well.

"Movement on my pitches, the execution's been really good. Just one of those tough times where it seems like a lot of hits are falling. ...

"In this game it can spiral quick. But at the same time you've got to make your own luck sometimes. I could pitch better."

His next chance comes against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Thursday.

It's a good bet Ross will employ the "opener" strategy again and bring Smyly out of the bullpen. Ross believes this tactic gives a struggling starter the chance for a "soft landing."

"(We're) trying to get the right matchups and help a little bit," Ross said. "We could play better defense behind him, he could play better defense, he can make better pitches, I can do a better job. Right?

"We're all in this together."

Smyly had the second-best ERA of his career as a starter last season for the Cubs at 3.47. It sits at 4.69 now, but he believes better times are right around the corner.

"I've gone through stretches like this before. It's not fun. It sucks," Smyly said. "But it has to turn.

"I know my expected stats like BABIP (batting average for balls in play) shows a lot of balls that are falling in and finding holes. I can look and say I'm generating more chase outside the zone than I was early in the season. ..."

"So there's positives. But at the same time all anybody cares about is the results and it's up to me to change the results."