Porter Hodge did not overcomplicate the moment.
The rookie reliever, getting the call Tuesday night for the Chicago Cubs’ first save opportunity after releasing veteran Héctor Neris, quickly faced the tying run at the plate. Spencer Torkleson’s ninth-inning leadoff double as the Cubs held a 3-1 lead presented a test for the 23-year-old who had one big-league save and two blown saves this season.
Hodge, though, wasn’t fazed. He retired the next three Tigers on 13 pitches, getting two to strike out, to secure the victory. Hodge’s outing extended his scoreless streak to 7 1/3 innings and helped the Cubs (63-65) win the series with their 10-2 victory Thursday at Wrigley Field.
“You can easily see guys pitch themselves into worse situations trying to not give up one run, and in that moment, he’s like, OK, that run, it doesn’t matter. We’re up two, I can still attack and as long as I focus on getting the hitters out and executing pitches, we’re going to be in good spot,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “What hurts young guys in those situations is pitching around, trying to get a big strikeout, trying to get a big pitch, and you end up walking the guy and now you’re putting the lead run or the running tying run on base.
“He stayed true to who he is. He stayed true to his thought process and what he wanted to do to be successful, and that was really fun to see him handle that.”
Hodge’s emergence over the last three months has been an important development for the Cubs. Although he had been in big-league camp this spring and part of the 40-man roster, Hodge wasn’t really on the radar to help them in the near future, in part because of he hadn’t pitched above Double-A Tennessee and struggled to command his stuff. But he’s most the most of his opportunities since his promotion May 17, earning manager Craig Counsell’s trust and subsequently being used in more high-leverage spots.
“I’m staying true to myself and being on that attack mode and just keeping a good mentality the whole time,” Hodge told the Tribune. “I haven’t had many bad outings. But the few bad outings I’ve had, just get over them quick. Don’t let them affect all your other outings. So, give yourself the rest of the day or rest of the night, whatever, and the next day’s a new day.”
Hodge’s growing confidence has impressed catcher Miguel Amaya, who has been behind the plate for 22 of the right-hander’s 28 appearances.
“His attitude when he’s on the mound, like no matter what, who is he facing, what’s the situation, what’s the inning, whatever, — he’s locked in,” Amaya said. “I can see it on his face every time and every time we pick a pitch together, he throws it with conviction. I feel that’s why he’s had success so far because you’ve gotta have that cold blood.”
Hodge’s struggles to consistently fill up the zone while in the minors has been as reoccurring of an issue in the majors. Since a rough stretch in June that included a trip back to Triple-A Iowa, Hodge has walked six batters in his last 23 innings while striking out 24 and posting a .152 average against in that span.
“If he’s pulling some fastballs, he can come back with his sweeper and get his fastball back in track,” Amaya said. “It’s been pretty awesome to see.”
Hodge’s cut fastball and sweeper combination has been devastating. The pitches’ movement profiles and the deception he creates with his elite extension, ranking in the 97th percentile in MLB, forces hitters to pick a pitch to look for. Hottovy explained that because of the extension the 6-foot-4 Hodge gets, his sweeper starts breaking closer to the plate.
A smooth delivery and “whippy” arm action, as Hottovy describes it, makes the ball get on hitters quickly.
“When you have a plus fastball to pair that sweeper with, hitters have to cheat, and you have make a decision of what you want to hit,” Hottovy said. “He’s just so deceptive.”
Hodge is still refining his delivery and pitch mix. He worked with pitching coaches to clean up mechanics that had been differing between his stretch and windup deliveries to create more consistent movement. Hodge also has incorporated six splitters to lefties this season, a pitch he started working on last season. He plans to continue to let the game tell him the moments to use his splitter against left-handed hitters, all part of the learning experience.
“(Counsell) trusts me, I’m probably one of his guys, supposedly,” Hodge said with a laugh. “It just gives me a different feeling on the mound, like, just attack hitters.”
