MINORS FINAL 8/21: Jarrett Miller's hot hand; Franco's kid at .367!
Jarrett Miller is 6-2 in the second half. This is from MiLB.com.
Lynchburg pitcher Jarrett Miller made one small mechanical adjustment that has paid off in a big way this season. Miller struggled to a 2-6 start before pitching coach Derrick Lewis talked with him about dropping his arm slot a bit. The 24-year-old right-hander incorporated the change in June and noticed immediate results, winning six of his next eight decisions to even his record at 8-8.
He's been one of the Carolina League's most consistent starters the past two months since making that subtle change. Miller has had quality starts in 10 of his last 13 outings and ranks third in the circuit in strikeouts this season (117 in 138 1/3 innings), while his eight victories are tied for fourth. Miller pitched with the Hillcats last year, going 9-8 with a 3.73 ERA. He made 25 starts and pitched in 30 games but didn't begin as well this year.
"I would be missing early in the count," Miller said. "I found myself in 2-0, 3-1 situations too many times. I was leaving balls up too much."
And the other teams were hitting them too often. Miller won just once in his first eight starts, and Lewis talked with him in early June about the possible change.
"Just a lot of it was the command in the zone wasn't as sharp," Lewis said. "He had gotten too much over the top. You've got to throw quality strikes."
Lewis worked with Miller on finding the right arm slot, and the right-hander said everything started to click in one bullpen session. Miller said his pitches were sharper -- especially the curveball -- and he noticed much better movement all around. Most importantly, he was able to keep his pitches down. If he missed, he missed low.
The change involved having Miller separate his hands over the rubber and keep his elbow up. That gives the pitch a more downhill plane, which is what he and Lewis wanted.
"To me, it felt like a major change, [but] it's a very slight change that made a huge change in my delivery and what the ball does going to the plate," Miller said. "It allowed me to get to my release point more consistently. It's like night and day."
Miller, a 21st-round pick by Atlanta in the 2011 Draft, now has confidence in any pitch, regardless of the count or situation. He said that even if he falls behind 2-0, he feels he's able to throw a pitch down and away for a strike.
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From Wednesday:
Behind a fine debut from new acquisition Joe Gardner, the Mississippi Braves took down the Mobile BayBears 6-2 on Wednesday night at Hank Aaron Stadium to stay in a tie for first and take the five-game set.With Jacksonville's 10-6 win over Pensacola, the M-Braves (35-24; 74-54) made it a two-way tie for first in the South Division, dropping Mobile (33-24; 75-51) to a game back with 11 to play. Gardner (2-2) picked up his first win as an M-Brave, having just joined the club from Independent ball earlier in the afternoon. He fired five shutout frames on five hits and two walks, striking out one. It's his second stint in the Southern League this year after going 1-2 with the Tennessee Smokies.
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JoeT has now homered in FIVE straight games. Hope this is for real.
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THURSDAY BOXES LINK
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CLASS AAA
Gwinnett 10, Charlotte 6
WP: Z. Stewart 6 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
Fisher (Save, 2) 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.
Terdoslavich 1-2, 2 R, HR (14th), 2 RBIs, 3 BB.
Salcedo 1-2, 3 R, HR (10th), RBI, 2 BB.
Constanza 1-1, 3 R. 3 BB, SB.
Kazmar 2-5, 2B, R, 3 RBIs.
Cunningham 2-4, 2B, R, RBI.
CLASS AA
Mississippi 4, Mobile 3
9th-inning run.
SP: Atkins 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.
WP: Haprer (8-5) 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.
Wren 2-5, 2B, R.
E. Castro 1-3, RBI.
Rohm 2-4, 2B.
Kubitza 1-3, R.
ADVANCED CLASS A
Potomac @ Lynchburg, ppd.
CLASS A
Rome 3, Savannah 2
SP: Barker 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 2 K.
WP: Kimbrel (2-2) 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K.
McElroy 1-2, HR (1st), RBI.
Schrader 1-2, 2 BB.
Giardina 2-4, 2B.
C. Franco 1-4, 2 RBIs.
SHORT-SEASON
GCL Braves 7, GCL Phillies 3
SP: C. Perez 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER(1R), 1 BB, 2 K. (rehab)
WP: Santana (3-1) 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
Gaylor 2-4, 2B, R, BB.
Obrochta 1-4, SB.
J.J. Franco 2-5, R, SB, 2 RBIs. (.367)
Didder 1-4, 3B, R.
Mendez 1-5, R, RBI, 2 SB.
Johnson City 3, Danville 2
SP: Povse 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K.
Miranda 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.
LP: Vail (0-1) 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.
Albies 0-2, R, 2 BB, 2 SB.
Murphy 1-3, RBI.
Edgerton 1-4, 2B, R.
DSL Braves 4, DSL Tigers 1
SP: Y. Torres 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 12 K.
WP: Henry (2-0) 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K.
Salazar 2-4, SB. (.303)
C. Castro 1-3. (.308)
Jan Guerrero 1-4, HR (1st), 3 RBIs.
