PHOENIX -- There has been considerable buzz the past two days about whether Diamondbacks rookie Trevor Bauer needs to make any changes to his approach after two disappointing major league starts. The basic question: Can Bauer's unconventional style actually work at this level?
Bauer has made no secret of his confidence in everything he does and has insisted more than once that no changes are needed. Asked Thursday if his confidence in his approach has changed at all after a rough start that's included nine runs (eight earned) on 11 hits and seven walks in 7 1/3 innings, Bauer seemed defiant.
"Why, because I had a bad outing?" Bauer said. "I know when I execute my pitches and execute my game plan I'll be effective no matter who I'm facing. I didn't execute last time. That's what happens -- you don't execute, you get beat. There's no reason to panic."
That doesn't sound like a guy who's worried his approach isn't going to work. He added that if he were to execute as he feels he needs to for a string of starts without results, he would have to look at making changes.
D-backs manager Kirk Gibson seems more convinced Bauer will have to make some changes as he goes, saying Wednesday that every player who makes it the major leagues adjusts somehow. But as for any immediate changes to Bauer's pitching style, Gibson said it depends on results.
"If he keeps getting his tail beat, he's going to change," Gibson said. "If he continues to have bad results, he will change. If not, he won't be here. He's no different than anybody else."
There are a few particulars of Bauer's approach being questioned, specifically the ones that make Bauer an anomaly among starting pitchers. Most unusual is that Bauer apparently pays little mind to scouting reports on hitters. He's not concerned about where certain players hit well or what pitches fool certain guys. Bauer approaches starts in the context of his own ability.
"I throw completely different in the sense that I don't try to throw to hitters' weaknesses," Bauer said. "I throw to my strengths. My approach is really hitter-independent. It doesn't matter who is at the plate -- I'm going to throw to my strengths."
That particular quirk has sparked questions about the difficulty of getting on the same page with catcher Miguel Montero. Montero possesses knowledge of various hitters from five-plus seasons in the majors, but that seems of little use to Bauer.
There's also the fact that Bauer likes pitching up in the strike zone -- particularly with his fastball -- while most pitchers try to keep the ball down. Bauer contends that the majority of balls hit hard or for home runs are in the bottom of the strike zone. So while conventional wisdom says hitters will tag pitches that are left up, Bauer is not concerned.
"When I'm executing, throwing fastballs at the top of the zone, I've never been hit consistently," Bauer said. "If I can execute my plan, I'll be fine."
Pitch location is part of the developing dynamic between Bauer, who seems to like calling his own game, and Montero, who seems to want Bauer to trust his calls a bit more. Montero said Bauer shook him off Tuesday more than most pitchers do; that's also a matter of the players getting to know each other and building a level of trust.
Bauer said he and Montero planned to sit down Thursday to get closer to being on the same page.
"We're just going to have a meeting and talk about how he likes to call a game, how I like to call a game and find some middle ground," Bauer said. "I haven't thrown to him very much, so it's just difficult. The game I throw when I'm most effective is drastically different than the way most people throw."
Added Gibson: "Whenever a pitcher and a catcher hook up for the first time, it takes some time for the pitcher to know the catcher and the catcher to know the pitcher."
It appears Bauer is willing to work toward a compromise in calling games yet still not ready to compromise the approach that helped him tear through the minor leagues and reach the majors less than a year after signing his first contract.
And why should he be? Two starts, including one hampered by a groin strain, don't represent a sample size large enough to definitively say Bauer needs to make changes. There might be changes coming eventually, though, and Gibson insists that adjusting to the majors is not something that happens overnight.
"He's going to change, Miggy's going to change, we're all going to change," Gibson said. "It's a process."
