McGreevy stays grounded with pregame reading in quality start

ATLANTA -- Michael McGreevy sat at his locker with headphones on, reading before Wednesday's start against the Braves. His reading choices range from Marcus Aurelius to Star Wars fan-fiction. On this day, it was Star Wars.

If it were up to him, he'd arrive at the ballpark an hour before first pitch so he could immediately begin his routine, but reading has helped him to not get too hyped up too quickly.

The right-hander turned in his fifth quality start over his last six outings -- and a career-high 17th start -- in the Cardinals' 5-1 loss to the Braves. McGreevy threw 87 pitches over six innings, allowing three hits, two runs and one walk while striking out three. The right-hander owns a 3.12 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP this season.

His fastball velocity has dipped this season (91.8 to 90.2), along with his breaking (82.2 to 80.2) and offspeed pitches (88 to 86.7). Rather than trying to overpower hitters, McGreevy has embraced relying on a more complete arsenal and more detailed scouting reports.

"If I don't have 95 in the tank that day, I know I have other weapons to get guys out," McGreevy said. "That's been a nice little, like, 'All right, that's down, then we're gonna slowly get that back over the year.' It's nice to lean on other things."

That lesson was evident against Atlanta.

McGreevy scattered three hits across six innings. The only real damage came from Ozzie Albies, who doubled and later homered before McGreevy adjusted and struck him out in their third meeting in the sixth.

"[McGreevy] didn't have his A-stuff, that's for sure, and he knew it early, but he was still able to compete really well with his B-game," manager Oliver Marmol said. "He didn't have a feel for his changeup. He usually lands that and is able to throw it more than he did today."

McGreevy knew something felt off before he even took the mound.

After throwing his bullpen session before the game, the hot, muggy conditions affected the feel of several of his pitches. When that happens, he said that the outing becomes more mental than physical.

"I got to give 100% with my 70%, you know," McGreevy said. "It was a couple loud outs there early. Masyn [Winn] made some great plays; JJ [Wetherholt] made some great plays. Defense behind me worked great, and that's what you need. ... I wish every time I took the ball, every five days, I felt 150%, but I really just want to compete and get as many innings as I could."

Even with another quality start, McGreevy still found a pair of pitches he'd like back.

"I just want the fastball back to Albies. It's probably the most obvious thing in the world there. And then I just want the walk to [Mike] Yastrzemski back," McGreevy said. "But by no means am I down on myself after today."

His favorite moment came the third time through the order against Albies.

Instead of dwelling on the earlier results, McGreevy challenged himself to make the adjustment a high school pitcher would be expected to make with a coach watching from the dugout. That mindset helped him execute the strikeout.

"Like, the guy has touched you twice. How are you gonna react?" McGreevy said. "Are you gonna give in and have him go deep again, or can you finally make an adjustment and punch him out?

"I was really happy to get him there. That's a good hitter, for sure. And then I was kind of peeking out of the corner of my eye to see if [Marmol] was coming out of the dugout, but I didn't feel anybody was coming near me."

What has impressed Marmol most isn't just McGreevy's results, but his willingness to remain coachable despite the success he's enjoyed this season.

And his cutter, in particular, has become an increasingly effective weapon over his last two outings.

"The cutter was a really good pitch for him. He threw nine sliders, and that was a good pitch for him today," Marmol said. "For knowing you don't have your stuff, feeling kind of sluggish, and still being able to compete the way he did and get into the seventh, it was a good day."