Anna McDonald 9y

John Lackey continues to thrive without great stuff

ST. LOUIS -- John Lackey, the St. Louis Cardinals right-hander, has been pitching in the majors for 13 years. In the ever-changing game of baseball, he has been consistent and reliable. Among active pitchers Lackey ranks sixth in wins (163), eighth in innings pitched (2,449) and eighth with 1,929 strikeouts.

"It means I'm old, more than anything," Lackey jokingly said a few days ago. "I've been able to stay healthy, except for the one year I missed for [Tommy John] surgery. There's a lot of work in between starts to stay healthy."

The Cardinals acquired Lackey, now 36 years old, last season from the Boston Red Sox for Allen Craig and right-hander Joe Kelly. This season, not only has Lackey’s 11-9 record helped the Cardinals to a major-league-best 88-51 record, he's putting together one of the best seasons of his career, with a career-low 2.90 ERA that ranks eighth in the NL. And all for the major-league-minimum salary of $500,000.

Lackey starts Friday night, looking to reverse a minor skid that has seen the Cardinals lose six of eight. He says his competitive nature is the heart and soul of his success.

"It's one of the things that helps me out the most," Lackey said. "I don't think my stuff is that great. It's decent, but I think my competitiveness and the way I get after it helps me more than anything."

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said the club takes great pride in how the veterans help develop younger players. It starts with a selfless attitude.

"I think it's just a very unique culture where our veterans are not afraid to invest in the guys that could be taking their jobs," Matheny said. "That’s something we make a big deal about it. When you see a guy -- who you know that player getting better could directly impact him, and he still goes out of his way and helps him -- that speaks volumes, not just to that particular player but to our club, and it becomes contagious."

In this way Lackey has been an asset to the Cardinals, especially with the absence of the injured Adam Wainwright.

"John is a vocal guy in there,"Matheny said. "Especially with our young pitchers, as far as they are concerned, to what those workouts look like when they are down throwing their bullpens. He's really bought into being that guy, that veteran pitcher for our club.

"Now, does it automatically translate out there [on the mound]? The answer is no, but I think it's just part of that culture we talk a lot about. As you invest in people, teaching them something -- typically you know the material and content better than anybody -- I think he's challenging himself maybe more than he has in awhile."

Lackey admits that it helps pitching in the National League, where the lineups are not as deep. Last season at Fenway Park, Lackey had a 3.22 ERA, but this year at Busch Stadium he has a 2.01 ERA, the sixth-best home ERA in the majors.

He also credits working with Yadier Molina and notes Molina's impact goes beyond pitch framing: "When you are on the same page and he's putting down the sign that you want to see, it just kind of helps the game move at a good pace. You get into a rhythm and it's easier to throw strikes."

Lackey has also done his best work against his toughest opponents. He's 6-2 with a 2.19 ERA against teams .500 or better. One thing he's done is incorporate more two-seam fastballs.

"I still kind of sink it and cut it, move different directions to kind of keep them off balance," Lackey said. "You definitely have to self-scout yourself a little bit, too, so you don't fall into where guys can look for certain pitches in certain counts. It's definitely gotten harder since I've been in the big leagues. These young kids come up here now and they already know how to use the video. They are already all over that kind of stuff. It's definitely something you have to keep evolving and keep changing."

Lackey's velocity hasn’t changed over his career, averaging around 91 mph each season. However, he says velocity is not a top priority now.

"It's about location, using both sides of the plate, and slowing them down, and speeding them up with offspeed pitches," he said.

Along with the liveliness on his fastball, the slower pace of the Midwest has been another added bonus and a good fit for Lackey. When he was traded from Boston to St. Louis his mom, who is from Missouri and still has cousins in the Midwest, was the most excited. Lackey is from Texas, but has enjoyed his time in St. Louis.

"I love it,” he said. "It’s kind of got that nice Midwest people vibe. It's a fun place to play. A real supportive, positive atmosphere."

The Cardinals' staff was on a historic pace much of the season, with an ERA well south of 3.00. But in September, the team is 3-6 with a 5.85 ERA and the rotation has struggled, leaving open the question of who the Cardinals may start in the first game of the Division Series if they keep their NL Central lead over the Pirates and Cubs. Don't be surprised if it's the 36-year-old whose stuff isn't all that great.

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