CHICAGO – Nothing needed to be said as Shane Drohan entered the field of play from the under-the-bleachers bullpen in right field with two outs in the fifth inning.
The ballgame, the left-hander believed, was his to finish.
“That’s the mindset,” Drohan said after doing just that, firing 4 ⅓ shutout innings behind Brandon Sproat to maintain a 9-3 Milwaukee Brewers victory over the Chicago Cubs on Monday, May 18 at Wrigley Field.
The margin for error was five runs when he entered, sure, but on a night like this one where the conditions were more like a late June night – temperatures in the 70s, muggy, wind blowing out – nothing can ever be taken for granted.
And so Drohan set to work against a Cubs offense that had helped pave the way to 15 consecutive wins for the home team at the Friendly Confines by catching Ian Happ looking at a called third strike to strand Michael Busch at second base and squelch Chicago’s rally at three runs.
A bloop Christian Yelich double in the sixth stretched the advantage back out to six runs, and from there Drohan fairly cruised.
He worked around a two-on, one-out situation in the sixth by getting Pete Crow-Armstrong to pop out to left and Dansby Swanson to ground out to third, stranded Busch after his one-out double in the seventh and erased a leadoff Seiya Suzuki single in the eighth with a 6-4-3 double play and a strikeout of Carson Kelly.
Drohan – pitching for the first time in six days – then sewed up his second win with a 1-2-3 ninth, setting career highs with five strikeouts over an economical 42 pitches that induced a game-high 10 swings and misses along the way.
The 4 ⅓ innings were also a personal high for Drohan, whose mindset remains that of a starter despite now pitching in relief in something of a hybrid role much like Chad Patrick is doing now as well – and to great effect after he locked down a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on May 16 with four shutout innings behind starter Logan Henderson.
“I always prepare for that,” Drohan said of lengthier appearances. “I’m always surprised on the shorter ones. So, prepare for the most and then if it’s just a quick one, great.”
Drohan has 7 ⅔ scoreless innings and counting to his credit with his last seven appearances coming in relief.
He’s thrown four or more innings three times and as many as 71 pitches while also remaining capable of doing the job in shorter stints as well like the two-thirds-inning quickie he posted in picking up his second hold in a win over the San Diego Padres on May 12.
Through eight appearances (his major league debut was an unsuccessful 2 ⅔-inning spot start at Boston on April 8) Drohan has logged a 2.57 ERA and WHIP of 1.14 with 20 strikeouts in 21 innings.
“His poise and making pitches,” manager Pat Murphy said when asked what’s stood out to him about the 27-year-old Drohan.
“He’s very capable,” he continued. “Fastball, cutter, curveball, slider. He had the hiccup in his first outing at Boston but it’s 32 degrees, can’t grip the baseball, he’s facing his former team and the whole thing. But I think even in that game he showed signs.
“Yeah, he’s another great pickup.”
While Drohan’s future still very well could be as a member of the Brewers’ starting rotation, for now he’s excelling in – and enjoying – a valuable role in the bullpen on a staff that somehow, some way has ranked among the best in baseball despite the overall youth and inexperience.
“You’re pitching in the big leagues – what’s not to enjoy?” said Drohan. “It just goes back to sticking to the routine, being mindful of the preparation and what goes into getting guys out, what their lineup struggles with, which of my pitches play best and then we’re just going out there and executing.”
Zooming in on the Cubs series, the tandem of Sproat and Drohan has given Murphy even more to work with in relief if and when it’s needed.
Although Milwaukee is set up nicely now to pick up at least a series victory against the Central Division leaders with Jacob Misiorowski starting Tuesday and Kyle Harrison scheduled for the finale Wednesday.
“Especially early on in the series, it just sets us up so well,” Drohan said. “We can be really flexible for these next two games.
“Thankful to be that guy.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Like Chad Patrick, the Brewers’ Shane Drohan embracing his new bullpen role
Reporting by Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
