CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish took the throw back from catcher Taylor Davis and paused -- over and over again. He would glance toward the center field scoreboard at Wrigley Field, reach for the rosin back behind him or kick at the pitching rubber.
Once again, Darvish struggled to find his rhythm and form Thursday afternoon. In logging just four innings, he threw 97 pitches -- 50 strikes and 47 balls. Darvish struck out seven, walked six and allowed a hit and a run. In the end, he saw his walks-per-nine rate balloon to 8.17.
Darvish failed to factor in the decision -- or much of anything else -- in the Cubs' 4-1 win over the Marlins. He remains a missing piece to the team's puzzle.
"It's frustrating for him, of course," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "We just got to keep working it."
Darvish has now thrown 695 pitches this season, of which 400 have gone for strikes. That's 57.4 percent of his pitches. He has walked 19.3 percent of batters faced this season. Even against a Marlins lineup that's the worst in baseball, Darvish couldn't take control.
His arsenal has proved to be overpowering at times and included swinging strikes on 16.5 percent of his pitches, but he threw balls at a 48.5-percent rate. A lack of fastball command was Darvish's greatest problem. He threw 76 variations of his fastballs -- four-seamer, two seamer and cutter -- and only half, 38, went for strikes.
In Maddon's view, it's the reflection of a pitcher who's thinking too much on the mound. Darvish said he's working on better focus.
"I'm a thinker," Darvish said. "My almost 15 years of career. But it's too much. I want to be better. It's my challenge. But I think that's good for me."
Cubs star third baseman Kris Bryant has previously admitted to overthinking leading to issues for himself. But he has a more clear mind these days, with four homers in his last five games, and hopes Darvish finds the same success.
"If he's just throwing the ball over the plate, his stuff is so good, it's hard to hit," Bryant said. "He's going to figure it out.
"He's going to be a big part of our success this year."
Signed to a six-year, $126-million deal in February 2018, Darvish now has a 5.17 ERA over 16 starts in a Cubs uniform, including a 5.40 ERA this season. Struggles with command are only part of the complicated beginning to Darvish's time in Chicago. This year, Darvish has enjoyed good health but not the kind of results he expects.
It seemed only fitting that left-hander Mike Montgomery earned the victory after relieving Darvish in the fifth inning. It was Montgomery who filled Darvish's place in the rotation amid his injuries last season, and it would likely be Montgomery to take a spot in the rotation should the Cubs ultimately grow impatient with Darvish.
Ace Jon Lester leads the Cubs with a 1.41 ERA, Kyle Hendricks has found his form with a 3.19 ERA and Cole Hamels (3.38) and Jose Quintana (3.40) have been strong as well.
The difference with Darvish is a lack of command and rhythm. He's still searching for it.
"I don't have any solid answers," Maddon said. "He's healthy. Ball (is) coming out of the hand really well. We just got to be more consistent in the zone. It's not that complicated. That's how I see it."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
