Bud Black on how Bryan Shaw can rediscover his trademark pitch

DENVER – Colorado Rockies reliever Bryan Shaw keeps a football in his locker, saying he feels at times like throwing it around can help him find the feel for his trademark cutter.

Unfortunately for Shaw so far in 2018, his go-to pitch—as pointed out by Manny Randhawa on a recent BSN Rockies Podcast—is being hit hard (95 mph or greater exit velocity) 44 percent of the time, up dramatically from the 29 percent rate it saw a year ago.

This has naturally led to a huge increase in ERA, posting a 5.92 so far this season. He is a career 3.27 ERA pitcher in his time with Cleveland and Arizona.

This manifested most recently on a nine-game road trip in which he played a part in swinging two games from the win column to the loss column.

I asked Bud Black if he has been able to pinpoint any major differences between the resume they acquired and the player they’ve had so far.